Overview
- Sheffield Crown Court sentenced 28‑year‑old Bawan Hawre to a lengthy term on Thursday, June 11, 2026 after juries found him guilty of multiple child sexual‑exploitation offences.
- Hawre was convicted on counts that include arranging or facilitating travel for exploitation, multiple rapes of girls aged under 13 and 13–15, meeting a child after grooming, false imprisonment, and possession of indecent images.
- Police and prosecutors say Hawre and his co‑defendant used fake social media profiles to lure girls with offers of e‑cigarettes, money and gifts before meeting them in person and supplying alcohol and drugs.
- Twenty‑one‑year‑old co‑defendant Sharam Muhamadi was convicted in his absence of modern‑slavery/arranging‑travel offences, failed to appear for sentencing, and is the subject of an active South Yorkshire Police manhunt.
- The investigation began in August 2024, was led by the specialist BSAFE and Barnsley child exploitation teams, relied on testimony from seven girls, and police have urged anyone with information to come forward while support work for victims continues.