Operation Shelter sentencing: day 3

A mother living above a flat where a gang groomed and sexually abused girls said their all-night parties made her life hell'', a court heard.

Taxis would come and go outside the property in Joan Street in Newcastle's west end and the noise from bottles clinking made it sound like a nightclub, the resident said.

It was the home of Nashir Uddin, 35, who is one of five members of a grooming gang being sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court.

John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, said the woman lived above it with her young son and she was disgusted by the smell of cannabis which came into her flat from Uddin's.

Locals noticed taxis arriving and the drivers going in with girls, with sometimes four cars parked outside.

Teenage girls would then be seen leaving at 7.30am and getting in the taxis outside.

Mr Elvidge said the noise from Uddin's flat of slamming doors and bottles disturbed the woman and her son.

She described it as like living above a bar or a nightclub,'' he said.The noise became routine, night after night.

The girls were white, aged 15 or 16, although they might have been older. The males were all of Asian ethnicity.''

She heard noises of people having sex, the parties went on all night and she had to use air fresheners to disguise the smell of cannabis.

Mr Elvidge said: She said living at (the flat) was hell.'' She has since moved away.

Uddin, known as Nash, was sentenced to 11.5 years for sexual assault, drugs offences and conspiracy to incite prostitution.

Gang members would use his home for parties known as sessions where vulnerable girls were given drink and mephedrone, and were persuaded or forced into having sex.

Jamie Hill QC, defending, said Uddin had borderline learning difficulties, an IQ of just 75 and was put into the flat after a period in mental hospital.

Mr Hill said other gang members were more sophisticated than Uddin and they used his flat for parties.

Iranian Eisa Mousavi was sentenced to 20 years for three counts of rape, drugs and prostitution offences.

The 42-year-old brought girls round to his flat in a tower block in Arthur's Hill, Newcastle, and raped one of them in his bedroom while she was mortal drunk'' while the others shouted outside for him to stop.

Mr Elvidge said: He told them if they didn't stop shouting they wouldn't get any drugs.''

Taherul Alam, 32, of Normanton Terrace, Newcastle, was sentenced to 8 years for drugs offences, attempted sexual assault and a prostitution charge.

Known as T-Boss and with a son aged three, he gave a victim mephedrone in return for her having sex with his friend, telling her My boy wants you.''

Monjur Choudhury, 33, of Philip Place, Newcastle, was sentenced to 5 years for supplying drugs, prostitution and drugs offences.

Mr Elvidge said the father-of-three allowed his premises to be used for sessions.

India-born Prabhat Nelli had been a postgraduate student at Sunderland University and had worked at Nissan.

The 34-year-old was sentenced to 4 years for drugs and prostitution offences. He did not have sex with any of the girls but a person sharing his flat did.