Five members of an Eastern European grooming gang have been jailed for almost four decades for the ‘horrific’ sexual exploitation of vulnerable schoolgirls.
Codrin Dura, 27, Leonard Paun, 24, Stefan Ciuraru, 23, Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, and Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, who are all Romanian or Albanian, were all convicted of committing serious sex offences against a total of six teenage girls.
Some of the young victims were bought cigarettes and alcohol in exchange for sexual favours then ‘passed around’ by their attackers, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
The rapes and sex attacks happened in various properties, including a ‘prostitute’s house’, and also in a park in Gateshead.
Today one brave victim said in an impact statement: ‘There was a few times I felt I could have died with the defendants.’
She added she now fears to even answer her door to a male delivery driver or be served in a shop by a male cashier, and knows she faces a ‘long road ahead’.
The survivor said she has terrifying dreams and flashbacks, ‘hates going outside, hates people’ and added: ‘I am petrified of all men.’
Another victim said she used to like hanging out with her friends at the park, saying: ‘It was a place we would have fun and where we were supposed to be safe.
‘I had visited it as a child and it was full of happy memories.
‘What happened there changed this and it’s been very hard to come to terms with that.’
She added: ‘I will never be able to escape it.
‘The memory of it, knowing it happened to me, will always be there. It’s like I got a life sentence of trauma.
‘Having to hear about the court process has really brought it back. It’s set me back, having to relive it.’
A third woman said: ‘Since the offending began I have carried a constant feeling of being vulnerable and have a constant anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach which makes me feel sick and nauseous.
‘I feel depressed I didn’t get to live a normal teenage life.
‘I felt in a constant state of flight or fight, not knowing if I would see them.
‘I’ve lost all trust in people and the community we live in. I never feel safe unless I’m at home.’
The five men, as well as another defendant who was cleared of all charges, had denied offences including rape, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, sexual assault and drug supply during a trial that started in August.
Judge Tim Gittins said the nationality of the defendants is ‘irrelevant’ but stressed that although all of them are now adults, some were children or young people at the time of the offences.
He added: ‘Someone who comes to this country as a guest or more permanent resident is subject to the same standards and penalties as a British citizen for contravention of the criminal law.’
The judge said the offences were committed for the defendants’ ‘selfish sexual gratification’ involved ‘passing around and group abuse’ of victims.
Judge Gittins paid tribute to the courage, resilience and dignity shown by the victims in coming forward to report what happened, withstanding the prolonged court process and calmly rebutting claims they had lied in the witness box.
The judge said the women should see themselves as ‘survivors’ not victims.
Prosecutor Anne Richardson told the court: ‘This case involves allegations of sexual exploitation of girls in the Gateshead area of the North East.
‘The alleged offences occurred between March 2015 and May 2019.
‘Some of the girls who make these allegations were, the Crown submits, were immature, vulnerable, seeking to please.
‘The Crown’s case is these personality traits were exploited by some of the defendants, to a greater or lesser extent, and a number of the complainants were bought or given alcohol and or cigarettes in exchange for sexual favours.’
Ms Richardson said it is not always apparent to a person that what they are engaged in is abuse and the law exists to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
She added: ‘Some of the girls were exploited and encouraged to engage in sexual activity, not because they want to or through their own free will but because they felt beholden and in some cases in thrall.’
Dura, of Bensham, Gateshead, was convicted of three charges of sexual activity with a child, four of rape, one of attempted rape, assault by penetration, blackmail, supplying a class A drug and arranging the commission of a child sex offence and was locked up for 13 years.
Josh Normanton, defending, said Dura – who was ‘brought over by his family as economic migrants’ – continues to deny the offences and added: ‘I cannot rely on remorse or anything of that nature.’
Mr Normanton said Dura was himself ‘young’ at the time of the offences.
Paun, of Saltwell, Gateshead, was found guilty of one charge of rape, one of sexual activity with a child, two of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, one of supplying a class A drug, sexual assault and distributing an indecent photograph of a child and got five years and one month.
Glenn Gatland, defending, said Paun came to the UK from Romania with his mother as a child and was not a ‘leading role’ in the offending.
Mr Gatland said Paun is now a family man with character references who describe him as caring and respectful and added: ‘He is a different man now.’
Ciuraru, of Saltwell, Gateshead, was convicted of four charges of sexual assault, one of sexual activity with a child and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and was jailed for 18 months.
Chris Knox, for Ciuraru, said: ‘He was not part of a group in any meaningful sense. He was 15 and 16 at the relevant time.
‘He came to the UK perfectly lawfully with his family from Romania.’
Mr Knox said Ciuraru had no schooling in Romania and in the UK the height of his social integration was playing football.
Mr Knox said Ciuraru had worked in car washes but wants to go back to Romania.
Gugiuman, of Saltwell, Gateshead, was convicted of three charges of rape and one of supplying a class A drug and got 14 years.
Sue Hirst, defending, said Gugiuman has a family and friends who hold him in ‘high regard’ and he poses a low risk of re-offending.
Aleksiu, of Windsor, Berkshire, was convicted of one charge of rape and has been jailed for six years.
Shada Mellor, defending, said Aleksiu ‘maintains his innocence’ and had relocated to the south of England where he has settled and started a family.
All five were given restraining orders, sexual harm prevention orders and have to sign the sex offenders register.
Afterwards Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Barr, of Northumbria Police, said: ‘This was a complex investigation which took time to piece together and establish the extent of the horrific offending.
‘The girls had their childhood snatched from them in the cruellest of ways by predators who targeted them as vulnerable members of our community.
‘As a result of their incredible bravery now as young women the offenders have been brought to justice.
‘Support will continue to be available to the victims, and I hope today’s sentencing will help provide some form of closure and allow them to move forward with their lives.’
