A gang is accused of raping and sexually abusing vulnerable girls as young as 13 after plying them with alcohol and drugs.  

Six 'naive' victims were lured to parties at houses and flats, where they were expected to carry out sexual favours and services in return, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Soran Azizi, Palla Pour, Ribas Asad, Saman Obaid and Heiman Mohammed, all from Newcastle, are alleged to have committed a string of sex crimes including rape, paying for the sexual services of a child and trafficking. The men, who spoke through interpreters, denied all 31 of the charges against them at a hearing today.

Some of the sexual acts were carried out by the victims consensually, because they were 'in thrall' to their abusers, in return for 'rewards' of drink and drugs, the jury was told.

But prosecutor Anne Richardson said the victims were 'forced' at other times or were so intoxicated they were unable to consent to what happened to them.

Miss Richardson claimed the women and girls were treated as 'commodities', passed around various men and sometimes believed they were in relationships with their abusers. She told jurors: 'The case involves allegations of sexual exploitation and trafficking of young women and girls in the Newcastle Upon Tyne area of the North East of England.

'The alleged offences occurred over a number of years, namely between 2007 and 2014 and those who makes these allegations are, for the most part, immature and vulnerable people.

'It is the Crown's case that these personality traits were exploited by the defendants and that each of the young women were lured to various houses and flats where drugs and/or alcohol were made freely available to them.

'It is perhaps easy to make assumptions about the complainants based on their relative youth and their somewhat unusual lifestyles.

'But in due course, when you have heard all the evidence, you may consider that they were young, naive women, who were in the thrall to and under the control of these, for the most part, older and more worldly wise defendants.

'It is not always apparent to someone that what they are engaged in is in fact abusive and the law exists to protect those who cannot or do not want to protect themselves. 'In return, the Crown would say, these complainants were expected and encouraged to provide sexual favours and services, not because they wanted to do so, or through their own free and unencumbered will, but because they were beholden and in thrall to these men.' 

Azizi, 28, from Newcastle, denies charges of rape, sexual activity with a child and trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation. Pour, 25, from Newcastle, denies offences of sexual activity with a child, paying for the sexual services of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, supplying controlled drug to another and permitting his premises to be used for the supply of drugs.

Asad, 29, from Newcastle, denies sexual assault, paying for the sexual services of a child, conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the prostitution of a child, supplying a controlled drug, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed, 26, from Newcastle, denies charges of sexual activity with a child, paying for the sexual services of a child and supplying a controlled drug.