Police have exhumed the body of a Sussex salesman who was married to a conwoman dubbed The Black Widow. Jason Woodward reports on the reopening of the case.

Julian Webb was described by friends as a "zany, happy guy" who used to keep everyone laughing with his jokes and good humour.

Life seemed to be going well for the popular advertising manager, especially after he met a young woman called Dena.

Following a whirlwind romance, the couple married at Chichester register office and settled down in Yapton, near Arundel.

Three years later, Mr Webb was found dead at the couple's home in Douglas Close following a mysterious overdose of paracetamol and anti-depressants. It was his 31st birthday.

Seven years later, police decided to investigate again the circumstances surrounding his death. Yesterday, his body was exhumed in what is believed to be the first such operation carried out by Sussex Police.

It is not an easy task to exhume a body. First of all, a certificate must be obtained from a coroner and permission sought from the Church. Then liaison work is carried out with the minister and undertaker.

A professional team must be organised to carry out the work itself. Most important of all, careful negotiations must be conducted with the family of the deceased to ensure they are happy with the arrangements.

Police admit the possibility of an exhumation was first raised following last year's court case against Dena Thompson.

Detective Inspector Martyn Underhill, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was a very difficult decision to take but we have to remember that Mr Webb's death was never explained and was treated as suspicious at the time.

"The events in the last year have led me to reinvestigate this death and I have become happier about the need to pursue an exhumation."

Hours after the ceremony, a short prayer service was held and Mr Webb's body was reinterred in St Peter's Church graveyard, Hayling Island, near Portsmouth.

German toxicologist Dr Hans Sach, recommended by the inquiry into Dr Harold Shipman, who was convicted of murdering 15 people last year, will conduct tests on samples taken from the body and the results of the post- mortem examination are expected within weeks.

Mr Underhill said: "It is an unusual step but it hasn't been taken lightly. Mr Webb's family have consented to the post-mortem and are supportive of the investigation."

In August last year, Dena Thompson, 41, of Rustington, was cleared of attempting to murder Richard Thompson, her third husband, but was subsequently jailed for defrauding him and a string of lovers.

A jury at Lewes Crown Court heard Thompson had hit her husband with a baseball bat after luring him into a bondage session. Thompson insisted she had been acting in self-defence and was acquitted.

She was then jailed for three years and nine months on 15 counts of deception after conning thousands of pounds from her husband and several lovers.

Sentencing Thompson, Judge Anthony Scott-Gall branded her "a serious risk to vulnerable members of society".

Detective Constable Sean McDonald, one of the officers on the attempted murder case, first met Thompson after the death of Mr Webb.

His subsequent investigation of her life of fraud led him to describe her as "one of the most dangerous people I have ever met".

After the trial, police said they planned to re-examine the evidence surrounding Julian Webb's death, Thompson's second husband.

At the time of his death police carried out an initial investigation but found no evidence of foul play.

An open verdict was later recorded at the inquest after the coroner said he was satisfied Mr Webb would never have considered taking his own life.

When Mr Webb first met Thompson in 1991 he knew his wife had been married before but was unaware her divorce had yet to be finalised.

Born in London, Thompson's life of crime started when she moved to Sussex with her first husband, Lee Wyatt, in the Eighties.

He went on to become her first victim when she tried to blame him for stealing from customer accounts at a building society. She was later convicted of seven counts of theft and two of forgery.

Judge Eric Wrintmore said Thompson was "one of the most fluent liars I have ever come across" before sentencing her to 18 months in prison.

Since then, Thompson fleeced a string of men and changed her name four times.