Gary James Mitchell, 41, from Birtley, was convicted on Tuesday as a result of Operation Phoenix - which uses modern forensic techniques to re-investigate unsolved sex crimes.

In February 2002, Northumbria Police began re-investigating unsolved rapes and sexual assaults that were committed as far back as the mid-1980s.

Mitchell - the third man to be convicted as a result of the operation - is due to be sentenced early in the New Year for the rape of a woman in Birtley in 1987.

Detective Inspector Garry Dixon said: "Operation Phoenix underpins the commitment of Northumbria Police to the investigation of rape.

We're also very pleased that the conviction should enable the victim to achieve a measure of closure Detective Inspector Garry Dixon

"This conviction is part of the continuing success of Operation Phoenix, and demonstrates once again how it is creating new opportunities to bring offenders to justice.

"We're also very pleased that the conviction should enable the victim to achieve a measure of closure."

Operation Phoenix is a partnership involving the police, the Forensic Science Service, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Victim Support.

The forensic techniques used in the operation were not available when the offences were committed - in some cases up to 20 years ago.

DNA 'hit'

DNA profiles taken from these offences have been fed into the national DNA database where they have either been matched against existing profiles or added to the database for a possible "hit" in the future.

Once a hit happens, the circumstances of the original offence are looked into, the CPS is consulted and a decision made on whether to re-open the original investigation.

To date, the team has obtained 33 DNA profiles that have matched named people on the database and these profiles form part of further investigations.

Another 35 profiles, without names to match, have also been obtained.