Five men have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years for the rape and sexual abuse of teenage girls in Gateshead. Northumbria Police investigated offenses against six girls, aged 13-16, which occurred between 2014 and 2019. The victims were sometimes given alcohol or cocaine before being abused. The investigation revealed that the girls were targeted by older teenagers, and in some instances, older men exploited the situations, with some victims believing they were in relationships. Offences were known to have occurred around Saltwell Park.
Following an eight-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court in October, four Romanian nationals and one Albanian national were convicted. Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, received the longest sentence of 14 years for three counts of rape and supplying a Class A drug. Codrin Dura, 27, was sentenced to 13 years for multiple offenses including rape, sexual activity with a child, blackmail, attempted rape, serious sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug, and facilitating a child sex offense. Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, was jailed for six years for rape. Leonard Paun, 23, received a sentence of five years and one month for five counts of rape, two counts of facilitating a child sex offense, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug, and distributing child abuse imagery. Stefan Ciuraru, 22, was given the shortest sentence of 18 months for sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, with his youth at the time of the offenses considered. The judge, Tim Gittins, described victim impact statements as "haunting" and highlighted the deep trauma and psychological scarring inflicted on the victims. He commended the courage, resilience, and dignity of the victims and praised the police investigation for their care towards the victims, noting improvements in the response to such cases.
