Child rape trial listed for a year's time

The men's trial will be held at Newcastle Crown Court in August 2025

Five men will stand trial in a year's time for offences including raping teenage girls.

The group denied a total of 36 offences including rape and arranging sexual activity with a child when they appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday.

A sixth man is also charged with related offences but is yet to enter pleas.

A trial estimated to last up to five weeks has been listed to start on 26 August 2025.

The charges relate to two girls, who were aged 14 and 15 at the time, and date from between 2015 and 2019, the court heard.

The defendants, all but one of whom live in Gateshead, are not legally allowed to be named at this point.

Their charges are:

• Man one, aged 25, denies eight counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child and one count each of blackmail, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, attempted rape, sexual assault and supplying cocaine to another person

• Man two, aged 22, denies five counts of rape, two counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence and one count each of sexual activity with a child, supplying cocaine to another person, sexual assault and distributing an indecent photograph of a child

• Man three, aged 43, denies four counts of rape and one charge of supplying cocaine to another person

• Man four, aged 27, denies three counts of rape

• Man five, 27 and from Windsor, denies two counts of rape and one of supplying cocaine to another person