A gang of four men and one woman have been jailed after being found guilty of raping and sexually abusing 10 women in flats across Dundee. Their victims, all aged between 16 and 30, were plied with alcohol and Class A drugs.
At the time, judge Lord Scott told them: “This was an appalling catalogue of rape, serial sexual abuse and exploitation of extremely vulnerable, mostly, young women.”
Ringleader Marian Cumpanasoiu – described in court as a “winking, smirking pimp” – along with Cristian Urlateanu, Remus Stan, Cataline Dobre and Alexandra Bugonea were originally due to be sentenced in February.
The Romanian gang was brought to justice as a result of Operation Recloir, launched by detectives after receiving “intelligence suggesting human trafficking and sexual exploitation is ongoing within Dundee”.
Three of the criminals, Urlateanu, Dobre and Bugonea, fled the country but were traced and extradited back to Scotland from Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Jurors in the six-week trial heard harrowing testimony about how the gang preyed on the women, including details of how a 16-year-old girl was sold a “pipe dream” before being raped, trafficked and forced into prostitution.
Cumpanasoiu was convicted seven rapes, human trafficking, brothel-keeping and dealing in crack cocaine. Urlateanu was convicted of six rapes and human trafficking, while Stan was found guilty of four rapes and Dobre found guilty of two rapes.
Bugonea, who admitted having “sex parties” at her flat but insisted there was a “fun atmosphere”, was convicted of one rape and illegal sexual activity with another.
Although the victims were slightly older than the young teenagers targeted by British Pakistani grooming gangs in Rochdale and other towns in England, detectives told The Times the pattern of offending was the same.
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