SEVEN Barnsley girls who came forward to disclose the sexual abuse they had endured having been lured with e-cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and cash have been praised for their bravery by investigators in charge of the harrowing case - after a rapist was jailed for more than 30 years yesterday.

Bawan Hawre, from Iraq, and Sharam Muhamadi, from Iran, were both found guilty by a jury on Tuesday afternoon of a number of offences against the girls - who were aged between 12 and 16 at the time - after a four-week-long trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Hawre - the ringleader of the duo - was given a 32-year sentence in front of the victims who watched on from a packed public gallery.

However Muhamadi, who has been on bail, has failed to attend court since May 18 and an arrest warrant was subsequently issued, with Judge Sarah Wright indicating that she would not sentence him in his absence in favour of allowing more time for him to be detained.

Officers revealed they are actively conducting ‘extensive enquiries’ to find Muhamadi and have trawled through hours of CCTV and phone records.

It’s been established that he has links to the West Midlands area and it is known that he travelled to Birmingham via train.

The last confirmed sighting of him was at around 9pm on May 18 in Birmingham city centre.

He then travelled in a taxi from the centre towards the Small Heath Park area, south-east of the city.

The pair were charged following a years-long investigation, led by South Yorkshire Police’s child exploitation team, in conjunction with Barnsley Council’s children’s services department.

The investigation began in August 2024 after one of the victims made a disclosure during routine safeguarding after being reported missing from home.

The girl said she had been abused by a man she knew as being called ‘Karo’ and was in contact with another man she knew as ‘Jack’.

Investigators were then able to establish that there were additional victims and, through ‘careful and dedicated work’ over a period of time, identified ‘Karo’ as 28-year-old Hawre and ‘Jack’ as 21-year-old Muhamadi.

During the trial, the jury heard the offenders - who used the fake names in every encounter with the girls - initially made contact via social media platform Snapchat.

Arrangements were then made to meet in person and the girls were transported between Barnsley and Doncaster, where the pair shared a flat.

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

Hawre was found guilty of six counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation, one count of rape of a girl under 13, four counts of rape of a girl aged 13, 14 and 15, two counts of an adult meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming and two counts of false imprisonment.

He was also guilty of possessing a prohibited image of a child, possessing extreme pornography and three counts of making indecent images of a child.

Muhamadi was found guilty of two counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.

In one girl’s victim statement, which was read out in court yesterday, she described never recovering from her ordeal.

“It’s like I’m still living in a nightmare - I was just a normal kid from Barnsley before.

“I haven’t been happy since, I feel small and I only feel safe when I’m in my own bed, at home, surrounded by family.

“I’m angry, sad and although I know it’s not my fault, Hawre took something away from me - I used to enjoy going out but now I do not.

“I don’t trust anymore and I have flashbacks every time I close my eyes.”

Judge Wright, when sentencing Hawre, said investigators uncovered an ‘appalling catalogue of offending’ and the girls were purely targeted because of their age.

She added: “The impact of your offending upon the victims, their families and indeed the wider community has been devastating.

“Their childhood and adolescence can never be reclaimed; each has suffered immense psychological harm and they continue and will continue to suffer throughout their lives as a result of your actions.

“No-one hearing the evidence in this trial and hearing the statements could fail to be moved as to how the lives of each of the children that you abused changed forever.

“Their relationships with each other and with their friends and family have been affected, and future relationships will also be affected.

“They suffer flashbacks, nightmares and acute anxiety - they bear burdens of guilt when they have no reason to feel that way as there is only one person to blame and that is you.

“They no longer feel safe, their education has suffered and each statement sets out the long-lasting harm that you have caused to those young people.

“The harm you have caused is of unimaginable proportions.”

Bravery of girls who testified is commended by police

Both South Yorkshire Police and Barnsley Council said they were committed to safeguarding youngsters having worked alongside each other on the case - and vowed to eradicate child sexual exploitation following the convictions.

Detective Sergeant Jude Proffitt said: “These girls have demonstrated such bravery in testifying against these men who abused them.

“They will continue to be safeguarded and offered support by the force, Barnsley Council and other services.

“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.

“We are, however, encouraged that the processes and procedures the police and local authority have in place to spot the signs and act on them enabled and empowered one of the victims to make the first disclosure which ultimately led to these convictions.

“We also commit to ensuring our response to child sexual exploitation is the best it can be, providing victims with the support they need to disclose incidents and bring cases to court in the hope of securing justice.

“While this conviction concludes these criminal proceedings, both ourselves and Barnsley Council will continue in our efforts to identify those at risk of child sexual exploitation and intervene at the earliest possible opportunity.

“If you or someone you know may have been subjected to this awful abuse, please report it to the police, BSAFE or someone you trust.”

Carly Speechley, executive director of Barnsley Council’s children’s services, added: “We have worked extremely closely with South Yorkshire Police and other partners and with children involved to make sure suspects could be identified.

“I would like to thank these seven young girls who have been extraordinarily brave in sharing their evidence about the abuse they have suffered.

“Their courage throughout this case has helped bring these men to justice and helps protect other young people.

“The girls are entitled to lifelong anonymity and are being safeguarded and offered support by South Yorkshire Police, Barnsley Council, and third-party services.

“This case is just one example of the effectiveness of multi-agency teams working together to identify and safeguard those who are or may be at risk of child sexual exploitation or other harm.”