Overview
- Newcastle Crown Court sentenced Codrin Dura to 13 years, Bogdan Gugiuman to 14 years, Klaudio Aleksiu to 6 years, Leonard Paun to 5 years and 1 month, and Stefan Ciuraru to 18 months.
- Offending against six girls aged 13 to 16 occurred between 2014 and 2019, with alcohol and cocaine used to facilitate abuse in and around Saltwell Park.
- The sentences followed an eight-week trial that concluded in October after 2019 complaints led Northumbria Police to uncover a group of men known to each other; a sixth suspect was cleared.
- Victims’ statements detailed profound trauma, including fear, nightmares and addiction, which the judge described as “haunting,” while praising their courage and resilience.
- Defence teams contested the portrayal of a systematic grooming gang and cited youth or personal circumstances in mitigation, but the court imposed custodial terms across the board.