Two paedophiles who subjected children to horrific sex abuse have been warned they could be facing life sentences.

Brothers Lee and Colin Wicks were convicted after a seven-week trial featuring “gruelling evidence”.

Tina Butcher, 42, faces sentence for one charge of rape, in which she helped her boyfriend Lee Wicks commit the offence with a young girl.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that the case involved the sexual abuse of four young victims.

The jury of six men and six women were told how the brothers tied one girl to a chair and forced her to perform a sex act.

Lee Wicks dragged another girl off her bike under the pier at Sheerness and assaulted her. She later revealed that he threatened to kill her if she told anybody about the abuse.

Eloise Marshall, prosecuting, said during investigations it was discovered there had been earlier allegations involving the brothers’ sexual behaviour with children, but they were not prosecuted.

There was later a second investigation against them which did proceed to a prosecution.

But there were “evidential difficulties”, said the prosecutor, which prevented the trial from going ahead and not guilty verdicts were entered.

Lee Wicks, 41, of Chapel Street, Minster, Colin Wicks, 46, of Castle Road, Chatham, and Butcher, of Collett Walk, Gillingham, all denied any sexual behaviour with the victims.

The trial was delayed several times because Lee Wicks, who is epileptic, suffered several fits, including one on Friday after being found guilty.

Jurors were out for three days before returning verdicts on the 31 charges.

Judge Philip Statman said Lee and Colin Wicks were in a different position to Tina Butcher.

Ordering psychiatric reports on the brothers, he said had to consider the issue of dangerousness.

“I haven’t put out my mind life sentences,” he said. “There must not be a rush to judgement in a case as grave and important as this.”

The three were remanded in custody until sentence on December 19.