Five men have been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting young girls – one of the victims was a girl of 14 who became addicted to cocaine and was ‘passed around for sex’
Five men who formed a grooming gang were today found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting girls they met in a park. One of the six victims was a girl of 14. She became addicted to cocaine given to her by the men and was then passed around for sex, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Four Romanian men and one Albanian man were found guilty of multiple offences committed in Gateshead between 2015 and 2019. Prosecutors told how the group targeted vulnerable girls in the town’s Saltwell Park. A sixth man was cleared of all offences. Those convicted were remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.
Codrin Dura, 27, was found guilty of two counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child, attempted rape, blackmail and sexual assault all relating to one girl, called Girl A.
Dura was also found guilty of two counts of raping a second girl, Girl B, but cleared of four other counts of raping her. He was also convicted of arranging the commission of a child sex offence and supplying Class A drugs.
Leonard Paun, 23, was found guilty of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape in relation to Girl B, but cleared of four further rape offences for the same victim.
He was also found guilty of two counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, distributing an indecent image of a child and supplying Class A drugs.
Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, was found guilty of three counts of rape relating to Girl B and cleared of one, and convicted of supplying Class A drugs. Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, was found guilty of one count of raping Girl B but cleared of another and supplying Class A drugs.
Stefan Ciuraru, 22, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault relating to girls B, C and D, sexual activity with a child, Girl E, and inciting a child, Girl F, to engage in sexual activity.
Jurors reached their verdicts after more than three days of deliberation. Judge Tim Gittins thanked them for their efforts and told the convicted men a prison sentence was “likely”.
Officers stressed anyone who is a victim of a sexual offence has anonymity for life and should not be identified. Det Chief Insp Graeme Barr of Northumbria Police said after the case: “I want to start by praising the bravery, composure and dignity of the victims.
“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.”
Charlotte Dennison, head of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Unit at CPS North East, added: “Some of the victims were exploited by multiple men after being plied with drugs and alcohol.
“We hope they can take some measure of comfort from knowing that they have played a part in helping us to secure these convictions against their abusers.”