So to recap today's top news - Two men have been jailed for sexually abusing vulnerable girls in Newcastle after plying them with drink and drugs.

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Image source, Northumbria Police

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

A man suffered severe facial injuries and lost part of his ear in a fight in Durham on Saturday.

It happened at the junction of Silver Street and Claypath at 19:55.

The man was involved in the altercation with a tall man who was wearing a black short sleeved shirt, dark trousers and black trainers with white soles.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

A rooftop swimming pool, nightclub and shops are part of plans for a new multimillion-pound hotel complex in Newcastle city centre.

The site for the £35m development will stretch from Grey Street down to its junction with Mosley Street and across to the lower part of Cloth Market.

Image source, Google

Full plans for the scheme will be presented to Newcastle City Council by the end of the year with a view to starting the refurbishment in spring, subject to planning permission being granted.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Unite has accused Sports Direct of breaking promises to offer store staff guaranteed hours rather than zero-hours contracts

Image source, PA

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Two men have been handed jail terms today after they plied girls with alcohol and drugs then forced them to have sex as part of a gang

It emerged that during investigations as part of Operation Sanctuary that Northumbria Police paid a convicted rapist £10,000 to act as an informant.

A grooming gang which preyed on girls was not racially or religiously motivated, a judge has ruled.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how the defendants focused on exploitation of vulnerable girls in the West End of Newcastle, were of "Asian extraction" and largely British-born, although some were born abroad.

#John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, said the victims who gave evidence in court were all "white British".

But the ethnicity of other potential targets was not known, he said, and one vulnerable girl who did not engage with police was black, and an Asian girl was seen at a party.

Judge Penny Moreland said the gang picked out their victims "not because of their race, but because they were young, impressionable, naive and vulnerable".

The men were part of a gang who plied girls with alcohol and drugs then forced them to have sex.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

The NSPCC have responded to the sentences for two men involved in the Operation Sanctuary grooming investigation in Newcastle.

In a statement, an NSPCC spokesperson said the charity welcomes the long jail terms as the crimes were "horrific and calculated":

Mohammed Azram picked up girls from a courtyard in the city's West End known as "The Box".

The 35 year-old was jailed for 12-and-a-half years as part of the Operation Sanctuary investigation

During the trial one victim said he took her to a party where she saw another girl, who did not make a complaint to the police, being treated like a slave.

Azram's barrister told the court that he attended Grainger Grammar School but got into drugs after moving to Newcastle College for his GCSEs.

He admitted a string of drugs offences and was convicted of one count of sexual assault and one count of inciting prostitution.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Details of how a man managed to abuse vulnerable girls and women across the West End of Newcastle have been read out in court.

Jahangir Zaman, 45, gave girls lines of M-Cat and demanded oral sex if they wanted more, Newcastle Crown Court was told.

Recalling one victim's evidence, John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, said: "She didn't want to do it, but she did want the drugs.

"It was made quite clear sex was the price she had to pay for the M-Cat."

He was convicted of rape, supplying drugs and inciting prostitution. Roy Brown, mitigating, said: "He blames no-one but himself."

A repeat drug dealer, Zaman was also caught in a separate police operation to target the heroin trade.

Fiona Trott
BBC News

A further man has been jailed for his role in the abuse of vulnerable girls and women in the West End of Newcastle.

Jahangir Zaman, 45, was sentenced to 29 years for rape, sexual exploitation and drugs offences, as part of the Operation Sanctuary investigation and also for his involvement in a separate drugs conspiracy.

Seventeen men and one woman were found guilty after two years of trials. Sentencing is due to last until Friday.

Image source, Northumbria Police

Fiona Trott
BBC News

A man has been jailed for 12-and-a-half years for his role in drugging and sexually abusing vulnerable girls and women in Newcastle.

Mohammed Azram, 35, was sentenced as part of the Operation Sanctuary investigation.

Seventeen men and one woman were found guilty after two years of trials. Sentencing is due to last until Friday.

Image source, Northumbria Police

Newcastle Falcons sign Canada international prop Jake Ilnicki as cover after injuries rule out tight-heads David Wilson and Scott Wilson.

The man directed racist comments towards a Cardiff City player during their match against Newcastle.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Luke Davenport was driving round Croft Circuit on 10 June when his car flew off the track due to wet conditions.

The rain caused other drivers to lose control of their cars and they smashed into Luke.

Image source, Getty Images

He received injuries including a broken left tibia, fibula and ankle, broken ribs and punctured both lungs.

The Great North Air Ambulance arrived at the scene and Luke was placed into an induced coma, before being airlifted to James Cook Hospital.

Luke has now thanked the GNAAS, and hopes to be back racing next season.

An image of a potential witness is released by police investigating the death of Quyen Ngoc Nguyen.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Two men who were convicted of abusing girls in Newcastle who were plied with alcohol and drugs before being forced to have sex are being sentenced.

Statements from witnesses have already been read out at Newcastle Crown Court

Another victim impact statement heard one female say that despite having recovered physically, she "still gets flashbacks" about what happened.

A fourth statement from another female said the men left her feeling "humiliated and angry".

She added that going through the court process made her have a "mental breakdown" and that she feared for her life.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Northumbria Police have released CCTV footage of a potential key witness during investigations into the murder of Quyen Ngoc Nguyen.

Two men have been charged with her murder.

Her body was found in a vehicle in Success Road in Shiney Row in the early hours of 15 August.

Image source, Northumbria Police

There is no suspicion that the man was involved in the incident but officers are keen to speak to him as a potential witness.

Anna Snowdon
BBC Local Live

Ant and Dec took home the best entertainment award at the TV Choice awards last night.

Image source, PA

To date, the pair have won over 20 TV Choice awards, 13 Baftas and 32 National Television Awards.

Two men who were convicted of abusing girls in Newcastle who were plied with alcohol and drugs before being forced to have sex are being sentenced.

They are:

• Mohammed Azram, 35, of Croydon Road, convicted of conspiracy to incite prostitution, sexual assault, supplying drugs to a victim
• Jahanghir Zaman, 43, of Hadrian Road, convicted of conspiracy to incite prostitution, rape, supplying drugs to a victim

Victim impact statements read out at Newcastle Crown Court heard how one female described them as "monsters who abused me".

She added: "My child is no longer in my care. My body has been totally used.

"I'm scared in general to go outside the house because of the thought of bumping into people who might know me or people who abused me."