Newcastle sex trafficker attacked in prison after fellow inmates 'found out what she's in for'

Carolann Gallon assaulted after moving to another prison

Carolann Gallon was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to three counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation (Northumbria Police)

The only female member of a grooming gang which preyed on vulnerable girls and young women in Newcastle has been attacked while in prison, her father has said.

Carolann Gallon was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to three counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The 23-year-old has had to move prison after she became the target of other female prisoners, according to Chronicle Live.

After initially being held at Low Newton's women's prison in County Durham, she has now been moved almost 150 miles to HMP Styal in Cheshire.

However, her father told the Chronicle she was assaulted on Sunday, leaving her with minor injuries.

Carolann Gallon appears bottom right in a composite of those convicted as part of Operation Shelter (PA)

As police investigate the attack, Jimmy Gallon told the paper: “People have found out what she’s in for and she’s getting grief.

“She got moved from one place to another because she was getting picked on, then she rang me saying she had been assaulted by someone in there.

“She cries every time I speak to her. It’s awful for me because I feel so helpless.

“She’s my daughter and I just feel like there’s nothing I can do for her.

“I really miss her but my hands are tied. It’s just heartbreaking for me.”

Gallon was one of 18 people convicted as part of the Operation Shelter investigation into the Newcastle grooming gang, which was mostly formed of men from Asian and Eastern European descent.

Mr Gallon claimed his daughter "needs help not punishment" and maintains his daughter is as much a victim of the other girls, saying she was being manipulated by the men in the gang.

He said he would ensure his daughter "stays on the straight and narrow when she gets out."