Eisa Mousavi

Eisa Mousavi, aged 41 from Todds Nook in Newcastle, was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court for his role in a notorious grooming and sexual exploitation ring uncovered during Operation Sanctuary by Northumbria Police. This investigation exposed a network of 17 men and one woman who preyed on vulnerable teenage girls, primarily aged 15 or 16, luring them with drugs and alcohol before subjecting them to repeated sexual abuse and forced prostitution.

The court heard that Mousavi showed 'remarkable persistence' in targeting and grooming girls under 16, bringing them to his flat in a tower block in Arthur's Hill, Newcastle. In one harrowing incident, he raped a girl in his bedroom while she was 'mortal drunk', ignoring shouts from others outside demanding he stop. Mousavi threatened the group, stating, 'if they didn't stop shouting they wouldn't get any drugs,' as detailed by prosecuting barrister John Elvidge QC. These acts were part of a broader conspiracy to incite prostitution, where victims were passed between gang members and abused at various addresses in Newcastle's West End.

Operation Sanctuary, a major probe by Northumbria Police, revealed the gang's operations involved supplying drugs like mephedrone and cannabis to control the girls, with parties lasting all night and taxis ferrying victims to and from locations. Local residents, including a mother living above a related flat, described the disturbances as making life 'hell', with noises of sexual activity and the pervasive smell of cannabis infiltrating nearby homes. Mousavi's conviction forms part of a series of sentencings, with ten other gang members already imprisoned and more to follow, highlighting the scale of the exploitation network active in the area.

Judge Penny Moreland emphasised the long-term grooming tactics employed by Mousavi during the sentencing on 6 September 2017, underscoring the devastating impact on the young victims who were white teenagers vulnerable due to their circumstances. The BBC reported on the case, drawing from court proceedings and police statements, confirming the guilty verdicts for conspiracy to incite prostitution and multiple rapes.