Codrin Dura, Leonard Paun, Bogdan Gugiuman, Klaudio Aleksiu and Stefan Ciuraru have been jailed after plying young girls with drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them Five members of a grooming gang have been jailed (Image: PA)

Five members of an East European grooming gang have been jailed for between 18 months and 14 years after teenage girls in Gateshead were given drugs and alcohol and then sexually exploited.

Northumbria Police launched an inquiry into offending against six victims between 2014 and 2019, centred on the Saltwell Park area of Tyneside. Officers uncovered exploitation of girls aged between 13 and 16, leading to multiple rape charges being brought.

An eight-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court ended with convictions for four Romanians and an Albania

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