Five more British Guest Paedophiles living in Gateshead and Windsor, Klaudio Aleksiu, Stefan Ciuraru, Codrin Dura, Bogdan Gugiuman, and Leonard Paun, have been convicted of sexual offences against English children after an extensive investigation in Gateshead.
Northumbria Police initiated a specialised operation following complaints of offences against six victims from 2014 to 2019.
The intricate inquiry revealed the exploitation of females aged 13 to 16, with the gravest allegations comprising numerous instances of rape, including combined offences against individual victims.
Thorough investigations resulted in the apprehension of six persons in 2019 and 2020, all residing in close proximity in the Bensham region during the criminal activities.
They were later indicted on 42 counts and made their initial court appearances in July of the previous year.
After an eight-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court, five men—four Romanians and one Albanian—were found guilty of 30 crimes today (Tuesday).
- Klaudio Aleksiu, 28, of Church Terrace, Windsor, was found guilty of rape.
- Stefan Ciuraru, 22, of Brinkburn Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
- Codrin Dura, 27, of Ripon Street, Gateshead, was found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child, blackmail, attempted rape, serious sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug, and arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.
- Bogdan Gugiuman, 44, of Westbourne Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of three counts of rape and supplying a Class A drug.
- Leonard Paun, 23, of Windsor Avenue, Gateshead, was found guilty of five counts of rape, two counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault, supplying a Class A drug, and distributing photos of a child.
A sixth man was found not guilty of all charges he faced.
They were all remanded in custody ahead of a pre-sentence hearing listed for later this week.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by the people highlighted on this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report to Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.