Det Chief Inps Graeme Barr of Northumbria Police (Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)

It took the bravery of young victims and a complex six-year probe to get this gang of vile sex predators off the streets and behind bars. Gateshead is today a safer place thanks to the actions of a group of courageous schoolgirls who helped police snare the network, a police detective today said.

Codrin Dura, Leonard Paun, Bogdan Gugiuman, Klaudio Aleksiu, and Stefan Ciuraru, have now been jailed for a total of 39 years after being convicted of a string of sexual offences against girls aged between 13 and 16. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the six girls involved were vulnerable, with one being reported missing at one stage. The court was told some had "unhappy home lives" and were "dependent"

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