Victims of Asian grooming gangs have told of their horrific ordeals as a report revealed today that the 'arrogant' abusers felt 'unlikely to be prosecuted'.

A Serious Case Review found the gangs preyed on 700 girls and vulnerable young women in the North East before a major operation was launched to stop them.

Experts have revealed that those targeted by sex predators on Tyneside are likely to need lifetime support to help cope with the impact of their ordeals.

(Top row left to right) Abdul Sabe, Habibur Rahim, Badrul Hussain, Abdulhamid Minoyee, Jahanger Zaman, Monjur Choudhury, (middle row left to right) Taherul Alam, Hassan Ali, Nadeem Aslam, Mohammed Azram, Yassar Hussain, Saiful Islam, (bottom row left to right) Eisa Mousavi, Prabhat Nelli, Mohibur Rahman, Nashir Uddin, Redwan Siddquee and Carolann Gallon were all found guilty following a probe into child sexual exploitation in Newcastle

And today details of some of their horrific experiences were revealed for the first time with the publication of the 150-page report.

During interviews with the report's author, victims told how they were raped while under the influence of drink and drugs.

'I never had sex when I was sober,' one said. 'I wanted to leave. I was given drink. I kept saying no and fighting them off. I was very tired and fell asleep. When I woke, I had been raped. When I was asleep I was raped.'

And a victim told how the abusers used the drug mephedrone, otherwise known as M-Cat, to control the girls.

She said: 'They gave it to the girls - M-Cat was cheap, makes you like a zombie and wanting to keep going. It's addictive. It makes it easier for them to get what they want. When I was out of it they could do anything they wanted to me.'

The SCR highlights how many victims did not realise they were being abused, due to the skill of the perpetrators who made them think they were friends.

'I didn't think what was happening was wrong,' said a victim. 'I thought they were my friends. They bought me drink and drugs. I thought it was ok because of my family.

'I would have been beheaded in my country': Gang member told investigators they could 'get anything in Britain' One member of a grooming gang spoke to investigators in derogatory terms about British girls and said: 'You can get anything here.' The Serious Case Review team spoke to the asylum seeker in prison to try to understand his motivation for abusing vulnerable women and girls, but he refused to show remorse and blamed a government cover-up. According to the review, the abusers were mainly 'not white but came from a diverse range of backgrounds including Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, Turkish, Albanian and eastern European'. The only one to agree to speak to the inquiry had spent 10 years in Turkey, around five in Greece and some time in Italy and France, and hoped to get to Canada. He exploited a 15-year-old girl but told the inquiry team he was only convicted 'because of a conspiracy by the government, police and the judge who paid the victims'. The report continued: 'If convicted for rape in his home country, he would be beheaded or buried up to the neck and stoned. 'He was asked about what he thought about the United Kingdom and influences in his education. 'He said you can get anything here - any sex, drugs, alcohol. There is no control. 'He spoke in a derogatory way about lack of morals in British girls and did not go with Muslim girls because there are not many of them.' The report said it was 'unfortunate' there was not more input from other perpetrators. Advertisement

'Then it became more sinister. Different. There were parties with men a lot older. 30/40, when previously 20/21. They knew that they had us They are very skilled at who they target.'

One said: 'I did not realise what was happening. The men treated me nicely but not everyone else. Some men were horrible.

'They left their countries in lorries - they'd done bad things - they have done bad things elsewhere in other countries - they said they had done bad things.'

A victim also revealed how troubles in childhood made them vulnerable to grooming.

One said: 'I had a horrific time at school. I was bullied. I had no help with it. I have had mental illness since I was 11 or 12. Severe depression. If this hadn't happened I don't think the exploitation would have happened.'

Another said: 'I had no attention at school and then suddenly I got attention from everyone. Sexual exploitation comes from wanting attention and affection.'

David Spicer, the independent author of the Serious Case Review said the victims would need lifelong support.

'It is not just sex, we are talking about. It's not just young people having sex with older people. It's degrading inhumane treatment and torture,' he explained.

'Just stopping the abuse is not the end. They are going to need lifelong support and that's quite challenging for the mental health services.'

The report has been published into the authorities' response to child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Newcastle, following a series of trials which saw 22 defendants sentenced for a range of offences including rape, drugs and prostitution.

Efforts to find out why the perpetrators thought they could abuse vulnerable women and girls have been rebuffed, with only one defendant agreeing to help the inquiry, and he denied guilt, blaming a government cover up.

The Serious Case Review found things have improved since 2014 and that in Newcastle there was no reluctance to start an investigation into grooming due to political correctness or fears of being branded racist - a factor in previous abuse scandals elsewhere.

Abuse victims were placed in secure accommodation Some victims of grooming gangs in the North East were put in secure accommodation to protect them from abuse before a major operation was launched to tackle offenders, the Serious Case Review found. Before 2014, authorities were working to change victims' behaviour to persuade them to keep away from perpetrators they may not have seen as abusers, author David Spicer said. After launching his review, he said that included placing them in secure accommodation to help them break the link with the men. That approach changed once Operation Sanctuary was launched and authorities moved to disrupt the perpetrators' activities, rather than replying on victims to come forward and give evidence. Mr Spicer was careful not to damn the authorities' actions before 2014, saying there was no lack of empathy or any evidence of whistleblowers being silenced. Advertisement

But before 2014, the report stated that perpetrators were not consistently investigated and so went unpunished.

The report said: 'This sent an unhelpful message to perpetrators - they were unlikely to be prosecuted or prevented from continuing to abuse - encouraging an arrogant persistence.

'It also had a significant impact on victims who learnt that nothing would be done against perpetrators.'

That changed after Northumbria Police launched Operation Sanctuary.

According to the review, the abusers were mainly 'not white but came from a diverse range of backgrounds including Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, Turkish, Albanian and Eastern European'.

A total of 22 young women gave evidence at the trials which resulted in substantial prison sentences.

But the review estimated there were around 700 victims in total in the Northumbria Police force area, 108 of whom were from Newcastle.

The only abuser to help the inquiry was an asylum seeker who had spent 10 years in Turkey, around five in Greece and some time in Italy and France and hoped to get to Canada.

He exploited a 15-year-old girl and later showed no regret, telling the inquiry team he was only convicted 'because of a conspiracy by the government, police and the judge who paid the victims'.

A report has been published into the authorities' response to child sexual exploitation in Newcastle (file picture)

The report continued: 'If convicted for rape in his home country, he would be beheaded or buried up to the neck and stoned.

Operation Sanctuary victims 'disgusted with experience in court' Traumatised victims who gave evidence against a grooming gang were 'disgusted' by the court process and some had to have mental health treatment after being quizzed by lawyers, the author of a serious case review has said. The treatment of young women and girls in the series of Operation Sanctuary trials which centred on abuse in Newcastle was branded 'inhuman' by child sexual exploitation expert and barrister David Spicer. Speaking after his 150-page report was published at the city's Civic Centre, he said: 'I am aware how easy it is to treat vulnerable witnesses badly. 'It's not a difficult process to confuse them and distress them. 'All the victims we spoke to said they were disgusted with their experience in the court and several of them had to have mental health treatment afterwards as they were suffering from trauma.' One was cross-examined about material from her local authority records which she had no idea existed, let alone been released to the defence, Mr Spicer said. He said: 'Knowingly exposing a vulnerable, damaged person to that experience does seem to be inhuman and degrading treatment because you know they are going to be damaged by the process.' Advertisement

'He was asked about what he thought about the United Kingdom and influences in his education.

'He said you can get anything here - any sex, drugs, alcohol. There is no control.

'He spoke in a derogatory way about lack of morals in British girls and did not go with Muslim girls because there are not many of them.'

The report said it was 'unfortunate' there was not more input from other perpetrators.

Operation Sanctuary was launched in January 2014, a month after a young woman with learning difficulties told her social worker she had been sexually abused.

The authorities stepped up their response when they realised the problem was far worse than previously imagined.

Barrister and CSE expert David Spicer who led the review, said other towns and cities could learn from Newcastle's response.

He said: 'Unlike some other areas, Newcastle agencies did not try and sweep this under the carpet but actively went looking for it - and as a result, a large number of perpetrators were arrested and prosecuted, and victims saved from further trauma.

'That is not say that lessons have not been learned.'

Northumbria Police paid an informant £10,000 for information about the groomers and it later emerged he was a convicted child rapist.

The review said this was not an issue within its scope, but added: 'During conversations with some victims, they expressed concern that this informant may have abused them and they were reassured there was no evidence of this.'

The review was carried out for Newcastle Safeguarding Children Board and Newcastle Safeguarding Adults Board.