Rapist jailed after grooming and trafficking underage girls on Snapchat - as fugitive co-offender still on the run
A man who groomed seven underage girls on Snapchat, before meeting them and raping them, has been jailed for 29 years whilst his co-defendant, an asylum seeker, remains on the run.
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Sheffield Crown Court heard how Bawan Hawre, 28, from Doncaster, plied the girls with drugs and alcohol after promising them vapes and money.
The girls would be picked up from neighbouring Barnsley before being taken to Doncaster where they were abused.
The offences happened in 2024, when the girls were aged between 12 and 16. The investigation had started that same year, when one of the victims had contacted police after she’d gone missing from home.
She told officers how she’d been abused by a man known to her as “Karo” and had been in contact with another man who called himself “Jack”
“Karo” was later identified as Hawre and “Jack” was actually his co-accused, 21-year-old Sharam Muhamadi.
During the trial, the court heard how the men used fake names in every encounter with the girls.
Muhamadi, originally from Iran, had come to the UK as an unaccompanied 16-year old claiming-asylum in 2021. He was taken into the care of social services in Bradford.
He was then given leave to remain status the following year.
On Tuesday (9 June) both men were convicted of child sexual exploitation offences.
Hawre, an Iraqi national, was found guilty of offences including rape and false imprisonment.
On Thursday (11 June) he was handed a 32 year sentence, 29 of which will be custodial, with a further three on licence.
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'Particularly dangerous offender'
Detective Sergeant Jude Proffitt of South Yorkshire Police said, “Hawre took the primary role in the offending, prioritising his own sexual desires rather than the wellbeing of the girls.
"He is a particularly dangerous offender.
“It’s impacted these girls’ relationships, their mental health, their education.”
A number of victim impact statements from the girls were read out in court.
One girl said how what happened had “made her eating disorder worse, I’ll never be the girl I was before Doncaster.”
Another said how she had turned to drugs to try and “block out” what had happened to her whilst another had seen her relationship with her dad break down, saying “it’s not even his fault, I just can’t trust men anymore.”
The court heard also how Harwe raped two 14-year-old girls at his home after giving them alcohol and drugs. One of the girls was so intoxicated, she could neither see nor stand.
In October 2024, another victim, also 14, recalled seeing Harwe rape another girl, who had passed out from drinking.
Muhamadi was convicted of of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.
Muhamadi has not been seen since the trial began on in May. After being granted bail by the court, the 21 year old has evaded police.
He was last seen in Birmingham on May 18 and South Yorkshire Police believe he is still in the country.
The force says that if he is found abroad, they’ll be “seeking the government’s help to extradite him.”
Despite being convicted in his absence, he’ll be sentenced at a later date.
A police spokesperson said: "A manhunt is currently under way to locate 21-year-old Sharam Muhamadi and we will not stop until we find him.
"Our officers have been working relentlessly, exploring every single line of inquiry with determination to secure justice for the victims."
'Incredible bravery and immeasurable courage'
On sentencing Harwe, Judge Wright said the “impact of your crimes on the girls is devastating.
"You had a sexual interest in underage girls.”
She went on to praise the “incredible bravery and immeasurable courage” of the girls, who were all visibly emotional in the public gallery, as their abuser was led away to prison.