'All white women are good for one thing':

• A total of 17 men and a woman have been convicted of sex and drugs offences
• They plied vulnerable young girls with drink and drugs at sex 'sessions' in city
• A total of 461 people were arrested and police say there were 278 victims
• Police say they have 'thrown the kitchen sink' at bringing the gang to justice

An Asian sex gang plied vulnerable young girls with drink and drugs at 'sex parties' in Newcastle, it can be revealed today.

A total of 17 men and one woman have been convicted of, or have admitted, charges including rape, supplying drugs and inciting prostitution, in a series of trials at Newcastle Crown Court.

Older men preyed on immature teenagers who were plied with cocaine, cannabis, alcohol or mephedrone, then raped or persuaded into having sexual activity at parties known as 'sessions'.

Saiful Islam (left) bought one victim Malibu and took her to house where he and friends knew they could abuse girls and coerced her into having sex. Yasser Hussain (right) hosted 'parties'

Redwan Siddique (left) told a victim to have sex with him in return for drugs. Mohammed Azram (right) admitted five drugs offences, on count of sexual assault and one of inciting prostitution

Mohammed Hassan Ali (left) met his 15-year-old victim at a party and started a relationship after she claimed to be 18 but he continued to have sex with her after finding out her real age. Carolann Gallon (right) who was aged 17 and 18 at the time,  admitted three offences of trafficking girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Northumbria Police launched a major investigation after receiving information from social workers and initially spoke to 108 potential victims.

Over the course of four trials, 20 young women gave evidence covering a period from 2011 to 2014.

Those prosecuted were from the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Iraqi, Iranian and Turkish communities and were mainly British-born, with most living in the West End of Newcastle.

The court heard that one of the men convicted, 37-year-old Badrul Hussain, was heard telling a ticket collector on the Tyne and Wear Metro: 'All white women are good for one thing, for men like me to f*** and use as trash, that is all women like you are worth.'

The sex ring was exposed when two women spoke to the authorities in 2013 and within weeks police had made 27 arrests under an investigation which became known as Operation Shelter.

During a series of trials that followed, one young person gave evidence on six separate occasions in front of six different juries about her plight.

Eisa Mousavi (left) was convicted of three counts of rape and two counts of supplying drugs. Prabhat Nelli (right) was convicted of two counts of supplying drugs and one count of conspiracy to incite prostitution

Taherul Alam (left) was convicted of supplying drugs, attempting to sexually assault, and inciting prostitution. Nashir Uddin (right) was convicted of sexual assault, inciting prostitution and drugs offences

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Mohibur Rahman (left) admitted conspiracy to incite prostitution and drugs charges. Jahanger Zaman (right) was convicted of rape, supplying drugs and inciting prostitution

A total of 17 men and one woman have now been convicted of a string of offences and face jail when they are sentenced next month.

Four of the men - Mohammed Ali, Solful Islam, Yasser Hussain and Redwan Siddquee - have already been sent to prison for a total of 20 years and four months.

Northumbria Police Chief Constable Steve Ashman said in a statement today: 'To date we have arrested 461 people, spoken to 703 potential complainants and have found 278 victims. 

'In total we now have 93 convictions delivering more than 300 years of imprisonment in addition to today's convictions.'

He added: 'Many of us will never understand the traumatic experience some of these women and girls have endured and they have my wholehearted commitment that, together with our partners, we will continue to provide them with all the support they need. They have trusted us and we must not let them down.

'We have thrown the kitchen sink at this - a team of 50 officers have worked on this inquiry for almost three and a half years and continue to do so. 

'We have not and will not stop. We have employed every technique available to us, covert and overt, in tackling the problem.'

Nadeem Aslam (left) was convicted of drugs offences. Abdul Sabe (right) was convicted of conspiracy to incite prostitution, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to sexual assault

Chief Constable Ashman added: 'There has been no political correctness here. These are criminals and there has been no hesitation in arresting them and targeting them using all the means at our disposal.

'It is for individual communities to ask themselves whether they are doing all they can to eradicate such attitudes and behaviour so that the stigma and shame attached to such people prevents it from rearing its head again.

'The communities that we work with are appalled at this offending and we have encountered nothing other than the fullest of support from them all.'

Prosecutor John Elvidge told Newcastle Crown Court at the start of one of the trials: 'The prosecution say the case concerns the sexual exploitation of vulnerable young women and girls in Newcastle.

'The events happened over a period of time between 2010 and 2014 and involved immature young women and teenage girls being exploited, say the prosecution, by a group of older men, using drugs and alcohol.'

The prosecutor added: 'You will hear the girls were exposed to a party culture where young women such as these were lured to parties known as sessions by the offer of intoxicants, alcohol and drugs, which were made freely available to them to incite them to perform sexual services in return.

'During this period of time this method of exploitation became well established in the West End of Newcastle particularly and provided a form of recreation for a group of men including these defendants, who were active in organising parties in the expectation the girls who came would be involved in sexual activity.

'The prosecution say in this period these defendants and other men were party to a conspiracy to incite prostitution using drugs and alcohol at these sessions or parties in Newcastle.

'Mcat was a drug of choice used to exploit young women.'

Who was in the sex gang and what did they all do?

Defendants who have been sentenced:

• Saiful Islam, 35, of Newcastle, was jailed for 10 years in January 2016 for raping a 15-year-old girl in 2011.
• Yasser Hussain, 28, of Newcastle, was jailed for two years in October 2015 for a sex attack and for allowing his premises to be used in the supply of drugs after a jury heard how he hosted parties.
• Mohammed Hassan Ali, 34, of Newcastle, was jailed for seven years in December 2015 for sexual activity with a child, supplying cannabis and possession with intent to supply M-Kat.
• Redwan Siddique, 32, of Newcastle, was jailed for 16 months in February for supplying M-Kat to a 19-year-old in return for sex at his student digs in 2013.

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Defendants yet to be sentenced:

• Carolann Gallon, 22, from Newcastle, aged 17-18 at the time, admitted three offences of trafficking girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

• Mohammed Azram, 35, of Newcastle, admitted five drugs offences and was convicted of one count of sexual assault and one count of conspiracy to incite prostitution for gain.

• Jahangir Zaman, 45, of Newcastle, was convicted of rape, supplying drugs and inciting prostitution.

• Nashir Uddin, 35, of Newcastle, was convicted of sexual assault, allowing premises to be used to supply drugs, conspiracy to incite prostitution and who admitted four counts of supplying drugs and three of possessing drugs.

• Abdulhamid Minoyee, 34, of Newcastle, was convicted of rape and sexual assault and pleaded guilty to supplying drugs.

• Eisa Mousavi, 42, of Newcastle, was convicted of three counts of rape, two counts of supplying drugs, allowing premises to be used for the supply of drugs and conspiracy to incite prostitution.

• Monjur Choudhury, 33, of Newcastle,  was convicted of supplying drugs, permitting premises to be used for the supply of drugs and conspiracy to incite prostitution.

• Taherul Alam, 32, Newcastle, who was convicted of two counts of supplying drugs, one count of permitting premises to be used for supplying drugs, attempting to sexually assault, and of conspiracy to incite prostitution.

• Prabhat Nelli, 33, Newcastle, who was convicted of two counts of supplying drugs and one count of conspiracy to incite prostitution.

• Nadeem Aslam, 43, Newcastle, who admitted possessing cannabis and was convicted of two counts of supplying drugs, one count of possessing drugs and one count of permitting premises to be used in the supply of drugs.

The final trial saw three men convicted and one man admit charges against him.

• Habibur Rahim, 34, of Fenham, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to incite prostitution, relating to eight different victims. He supplied them with cannabis and mephedrone and was also convicted of a number of trafficking for sexual exploitation offences. He was convicted of one count of rape.

• Abdul Sabe, 40, of Newcastle, was convicted of conspiracy to incite prostitution, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, conspiracy to sexual assault, and supplying drugs to victims. He was already on the sex offenders' register.

• Badrul Hussain, 37, of Newcastle, was convicted of allowing drugs to be used at his premises and of supplying drugs. He was cleared of inciting prostitution for gain.

• Mohibur Rahman, 44, known to victims as Jimmy, admitted conspiracy to incite prostitution and five drugs charges.

Defendants not yet sentenced will be back next month. 

People are failing to take on the problem of Asian gangs abusing white girls because they are SCARED of being called a racist, Labour MP warns after Newcastle grooming scandal