Five men convicted over grooming and sex attacks on underage girls in Tyneside
Five members of a Tyneside grooming gang are facing lengthy prison sentences after they were convicted of a series of sex attacks on underage girls. Codrin Dura, 26, Leonard Paun, 23, Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, and Stefan Ciuraru, 22, were all found guilty of offenses which took place between 2015 and 2019 against girls aged between 13 and 16, after an eight-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
During the trial, prosecutor Anne Richardson told the jury that the six girls involved were vulnerable, with one being reported missing at one stage. She said some had "unhappy home lives" and were "dependent" on some of the defendants.
She said: "These are allegations of sexual exploitation of girls in the Gateshead area. Some of the girls were immature, vulnerable, and seeking to please as a way of gaining attention for themselves.
"These personality traits were exploited by some of the defendants to greater or lesser extents. Many of the complainants were given alcohol or cigarettes in exchange for sexual favors. It is easy to make assumptions based on their relative youth, but in due course, you may consider it’s not always apparent to someone that what they are engaged in is, in fact, abusive."
Ms. Richardson added: "They were beholden and in some cases, enthralled. The defendants were associated with each other and phone chats will show contact between them."
The trial heard that one girl was allegedly given cocaine and became addicted to the drug at a young age. Another was allegedly told to have sex with three men in one day.
Ms. Richardson said that one girl was allegedly taken to a "prostitute house," where she took drugs with one of the defendants. During his alleged offending, Dura was said to have had a sexually transmitted infection and had sex with one of the girls. He is also accused of blackmailing one girl by threatening to show her parents an intimate picture of her.
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Dura, of Rippon Street, Gateshead, was found guilty of four counts of rape, one of attempted rape, three of sexual activity with a child, blackmail, assault by penetration, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, and supplying class A drugs.
Paun, of Windsor Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of one count of rape, one of sexual activity with a child, two counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, supplying a class A drug, sexual assault, and distributing indecent images of a child.
Gugiuman, of Westbourne Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of three rapes and supplying class A drugs.
Aleksiu, of Church Terrace, Windsor, was convicted of one count of rape.
Ciuraru, of Brinkburn Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, one of sexual activity with a child, and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Dura, Paun, Gugiuman, and Aleksiu were all cleared of other charges they had faced. Ionut Mihai, 28, was found not guilty of three allegations of rape and he was discharged.
The five convicted men, who had been assisted by Romanian and Albanian interpreters, were remanded in custody by Judge Tim Gittins and will have to sign the sex offenders register on an interim basis pending sentence. The judge told them he hopes to pass sentence within the next four to six weeks and said the overwhelming likelihood is they will face significant custodial sentences.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr, of Northumbria Police, said: "Firstly, I want to start by praising the bravery, composure, and dignity of the victims in this case. This has been a complex investigation which has taken time and support will continue to be available to them.
“Every child has the right to grow up safe from harm but for these girls, their childhood was snatched from them in the cruellest of ways. The perpetrators in this case have committed horrific offences for which they have now been found guilty.
“I would like to further thank my colleagues and partners who worked tirelessly to help ensure they were brought to justice.”
He added: “We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of any form of abuse – no matter when it took place – to come forward. We want our message to be a clear one – we are here for you. We will listen and we will treat you with empathy, compassion, and respect.
“Anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse of any form can contact the police by sending a direct message on social media, or by using the ‘Report’ forms or live chat function on the Northumbria Police website.
“For those unable to contact police in this way, please call 101.”
Editor-in-Chief
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