Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11
Bawan Harwe Jailed 29 Years for Trafficking 7 Girls Aged 12 to 16
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11

Bawan Harwe Jailed 29 Years for Trafficking 7 Girls Aged 12 to 16

2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 11

Summary

  • Sheffield Crown Court sentenced 28-year-old Bawan Harwe to 29 years in prison, plus three years on licence, for grooming, trafficking and raping seven girls aged 12 to 16.
  • Eight rape convictions and six exploitation-travel counts followed evidence that Harwe used a fake social-media identity, offering money and e-cigarettes before plying victims with drink and drugs; one girl was 12.
  • Judge Sarah Wright said the harm was "of unimaginable proportions," telling Harwe the victims' childhoods and adolescence "can never be reclaimed."
  • Sharam Muhamadi, 21, was convicted of two trafficking-related counts but skipped sentencing; police said a manhunt is under way, and the judge ordered forfeiture of a £19,000 bail surety within 28 days.

Insights

Why do UK authorities still struggle to dismantle grooming gangs despite decades of warnings and multiple public inquiries?
With a convicted child trafficker on the run, can new police AI technology prevent the justice system from failing again?