Men groomed and raped girls as young as 12 - court

Two men have gone on trial accused of grooming and sexually abusing seven teenage girls in Doncaster.

Prosecutors claim Bawan Harwe, 28, and Sharam Muhamadi, 21, "effectively bribed" girls as young as 12 with money and drugs to "submit to various sexual indignities".

Jurors at Sheffield Crown Court were told if the girls did not do what the men wanted them to they were "intimidated in various ways".

Harwe, of no fixed abode, denies six counts of rape and ten other charges, including false imprisonment, while Muhamadi, from Halifax, denies two counts of rape and three counts of facilitating travel for exploitation.

The court heard Harwe had previously pleaded guilty to one count of rape of a girl under 13.

Outlining the case against the two men, prosecutor Claire Holmes said the alleged offences had taken place between June and August 2024.

She said the seven girls – one aged 12, five aged 14 and one aged 15 – met with Harwe after he communicated with some of them over Snapchat.

She told the court Harwe, who was known by the alleged victims as Caro, then "made available" some of them to Muhamadi, who the girls knew as Jack.

Holmes said all seven girls were given various quantities of money and if they refused to do what the man wanted they would be "intimidated in various ways".

In one incident, two of the girls - aged 12 and 14 - were driven to Hexthorpe Road, in Doncaster, where both men were living at the time, and were given money and e-cigarettes.

She said the younger girl was then given cocaine by Harwe and they had sex.

She said Harwe had admitted raping the younger girl but denied attacking the older girl.

Muhamadi is also accused of raping both girls on the same occasion.

Holmes said a few months later Harwe raped two 14-year-old girls at his home after giving them alcohol.

She said one of the girls saw him raping the other girl, who had passed out from drinking, and had forced him off her.

However, he would not let them leave the property until he had sex with the first girl.

Holmes told the jury: "If someone only submits because it is the only way out, that is not consent freely given."

Another 14-year-old, who had met with Harwe on a few occasions, told police he had raped her too, the barrister said.

She said she had "told him to stop multiple times, but it went in one ear and out the other".

Holmes said Harwe's defence would be that the complainants had willingly met with him, that he believed them to be over 16, and that he did not supply illegal drugs or alcohol.

Muhamadi denies any sexual interaction with any of the girls and also denies making any travel arrangements for them.

However, Holmes told the jury: "The accounts given by all seven girls show a clear pattern of behaviour.

"Individually and collectively, they produce a compelling case, so that you can be sure of guilt on each count."

The trial continues.

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