Men guilty of grooming and sexually abusing girls

Two men have been found guilty of grooming and sexually abusing seven teenage girls after contacting them on Snapchat.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Bawan Harwe and Sharam Muhamadi used fake names when messaging the girls, who were aged between 12 and 16, and offered them drugs, e-cigarettes, money and taxi journeys to entice them to meet in person.

Following a four-week trial, Harwe, 28, and Muhamadi, 21, were found guilty of several offences committed against the girls, who were driven from Barnsley to Doncaster, between June and August 2024.

Harwe, of no fixed abode, and Muhamadi, formerly of Halifax, will be sentenced at the same court on Thursday.

Iraqi national Harwe was found guilty of six counts of rape of a child and five counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.

He had previously pleaded guilty to one count of rape of a child under 13.

Six of the girls were given alcohol and drugs before being raped by Harwe.

Muhamadi, who is from Iran, was found guilty of two counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.

He was cleared of two other counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation and one count of rape.

Under the judge's directions, the jury was also asked to return a not guilty verdict on one count of sexual assault.

Muhamadi did not attend the trial and a warrant is out for his arrest.

The two men both worked in convenience stores in Doncaster and lived in a flat in the Hexthorpe area.

The trial heard that Muhamadi was taken into the care of social services in Bradford after entering the UK as an unaccompanied asylum seeker.

He had made a claim for asylum in 2021 at the age of 16 and was granted leave to remain in the UK in 2022, to be reviewed in 2027.

In 2023, he moved to Doncaster and began working "long shifts" in a shop.

After the verdicts were delivered, Judge Sarah Wright thanked jurors, saying: "You should not underestimate the task you have undertaken, a great public duty, which you carried out with great care and diligence."

According to South Yorkshire Police, the investigation into the two defendants began in August 2024, after one of the victims said she had been abused by a man she knew as "Karo", and had been in contact with another man she knew as "Jack".

It later transpired that "Karo" was Harwe and "Jack" was Muhamadi.

Det Sgt Jude Proffitt, who works in the BSAFE team, said the victims would continue to receive support from the police, local authority and other services.

"These girls have demonstrated such bravery in testifying against these men who abused them," said Proffitt.

"We will continue to do everything we can to prevent and eradicate child sexual exploitation, acknowledging that the issue is evolving and there will always be more to do."

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