THE launch of the operation back in early 2014 saw the high-profile arrests of more than 30 men. The publicity surrounding the case then led to two 19-year-old women reporting similar abuse by a number of perpetrators over a period of years, mainly in the West End of Newcastle.

Police and other agencies realised that sexual exploitation of children and vulnerable adults was going on in Newcastle on a much larger scale than was previously thought.

Last year Operation Shelter, an investigation that formed part of the wider Sanctuary initiative, resulted in 17 men and one woman being jailed with sentences totalling more than 180 years. Offences included rape, sexual abuse, supplying drugs and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

And since the launch of Operation Sanctuary about 700 victims of exploitation have been identified in the Northumbria Police area, of which 108 were linked to Newcastle including those who gave evidence for the Shelter trials at Newcastle Crown Court.

The findings of a Serious Case Review (SCR) into Operation Sanctuary were released yesterday, detailing how agencies responded to the exploitation and what lessons need to be learned for the future.

The 150 page document makes a series of recommendations for both local organisations and national Government.

But it points out that despite the long jail sentences handed to the Sanctuary sex predators, similar abuse is still going on in Newcastle.

Of eight victims covered in the trials, six were white and two were of African heritage, while the perpetrators came from a diverse range of backgrounds including Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, Turkish, Albanian and Eastern European.

The court had heard how teenagers and young women were picked up off the streets, then groomed and given alcohol and drugs before being coerced or forced into sex.

Victims described being raped while they were asleep, unconscious or incapacitated after being forced to drink and take drugs.

“I wanted to leave but I was given drink,” one said. “I kept saying no and fighting them off. I was very tired and fell asleep. When I woke, I had been raped.”

A judge concluded that the defendants “selected their victims not because of their race, but because they were young, impressionable, naïve, and vulnerable”, including young girls and women with learning difficulties and mental health issues.

The review said victims in the wider North-East included a 12-year-old girl who fell pregnant and other teenagers who underwent abortions, as well as others left with long-term trauma causing substance abuse, mental illness and relationship breakdowns.

It warned that one girl had suggested boys were among victims.

The review said that while perpetrators’ individual beliefs are not known, they “all appear to come from a non-white, predominantly Asian/British minority ethnic culture or background” – as in Rotherham, Rochdale and Oxfordshire, while a grooming gang in Bristol were from a Somali background.

Review author David Spicer called for the Government to launch research into grooming gang members themselves in order to draw up guidance to stop offending, adding: “Tackling sexual exploitation must address the perpetrators – not only preventing their activities but understanding their motivation."

He said cultural beliefs and practices have a “significant impact” on abuse, affecting both how abusers treat victims and how able victims feel to report their abuse.

The review found that before Operation Sanctuary started in 2014, perpetrators in Newcastle were not consistently investigated and disrupted as victims were unwilling to make complaints.

“However, once the true extent of the problem became apparent, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the City Council and partners across the city put in place a range of measures to disrupt, arrest and imprison offenders while supporting victims regardless of whether they were able to give evidence in court or not,” Mr Spicer said.

“In Newcastle, decisions about taking action were not influenced by lack of concern or interest, misplaced fears about political correctness or fear of being seen as racist. Neither was there any evidence of ineffective leadership or inappropriate interference by senior officials or political leaders to prevent action being taken.”

After two victims who did not know each other reported being abused in early 2015, Operation Shelter was launched and led to the initial arrest of more than 30 men and exposure of abuse dating back to 2007.

A multi-agency sexual exploitation hub was set up to take new reports and continues to operate directing victims to both law enforcement and specialist support, becoming a national blueprint.

A total of 15 national recommendations included a review of private hire vehicle licensing, issuing specific guidance on the grooming of vulnerable adults and improving cooperation between agencies including the NHS, social care and police.

Mr Spicer also called for the Government to look at whether new laws to be created to “address the behaviour and involvement” of grooming gang members and ensure victims are treated sensitively in court.

The Government has outlined £40m of packages to tackle child sexual exploitation and child abuse specialists are conducting research into different forms of offending.

A spokesman said: “We have done more than any other Government to tackle child sexual abuse. It has been declared a national threat and we are investing millions of pounds to enable officers to actively seek out and bring offenders to justice. We will now look carefully at the recommendations in the joint serious case review.”

The NSPCC said: “For too long, not enough was done by many organisations to prevent children suffering appalling sexual exploitation in Newcastle. But while there should be no room for complacency, this report makes clear that significant strides have been made in dealing with these issues in recent years."

Matthew Reed, chief executive at The Children’s Society, which supports young people in Newcastle affected by child sexual exploitation, said: “This review highlights the headway that can be made in identifying and supporting victims of sexual exploitation and bringing perpetrators to justice when agencies across a city work together.

“There can be no let-up in the fight against this horrific crime."