Manhunt underway for criminal convicted of child trafficking offences after he skipped trial
Convicted child trafficker skipped his trial mid-way through the court hearing
A manhunt is underway for a 21-year-old who was today convicted of child trafficking offences.
Jurors convicted Sharam Muhamadi in his absence of two counts of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, shortly before midday today (Tuesday, June 9, 2026).
Muhamadi was on bail while he was on trial Sheffield Crown Court trial, but after attending for the first week he failed to attend on May 18, 2026 and has not been seen at court since.
He is believed to have fled to a different part of the country, with the last confirmed sighting of him in Birmingham on May 18, 2026.
After the verdicts were returned today, Judge Sarah Wright lifted a reporting restriction, which prohibited the publication of any report detailing the reason for Muhamadi’s absence, or the fact his exact whereabouts is unknown.
Detailing the investigation underway to track down Muhamadi, which can only be revealed now, a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson made an urgent appeal for help.
Muhamadi had been remanded in custody after being charged and the beginning of his trial, but then his defence team’s application for bail was granted at court.
The force spokesperson added: “These enquiries have established that Muhamadi has links to the West Midlands area, and we know he travelled to Birmingham via train between Saturday 16 and Monday 18 May.
“Our officers rushed to the Birmingham area where, working alongside West Midlands Police, they have conducted extensive enquiries over multiple days – patrolling the streets, officers have shown his photo to members of the public.
“The last confirmed sighting of Muhamadi was at around 9pm on Monday 18 May in Birmingham city centre. He then travelled in a taxi from the centre towards Coventry Road and the Small Heath Park area, southeast of the city.
“We do not know where Muhamadi travelled from there, but we are determined to find him and are now appealing for the public’s help.”
Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett added: “Our priority has been and will continue to be securing full justice for the victims tragically involved. They have shown commendable bravery throughout our full investigation and the complex trial which followed.
“We are wholly focussed on finding Muhamadi and ensuring his faces the consequences of his actions.
“Officers have been relentlessly pursing all lines of enquiries. We are keeping an open mind of his whereabouts. We believe he is still in the country, but if he is found abroad, we will seek the Government’s help in doing everything we can to extradite him.
“We will not stop until we find him, and we will ensure these young girls get the justice they deserve.”
Muhamadi’s co-accused and friend Bawan Harwe, aged 28, was also found guilty today, with jurors convicting him of a catalogue of offences including multiple counts of rape, adult meeting a child following sexual grooming, false imprisonment, arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
Harwe, of no fixed abode, sexually abused and groomed a group of seven girls aged between 12 and 15, after meeting them over Snapchat and using the platform to groom them with the promise of e-cigarettes.
Prosecutor Claire Holmes said the vulnerable girls were plied with alcohol and various drugs and were “effectively bribed ...to submit to various sexual indignities.”
Harwe is due to be sentenced on Thursday (June 11, 2026), and it is not yet known if Muhamadi will be sentenced in his absence during the same hearing.
The two defendants were living in the Doncaster area at the time of the offences, and arranged for the girls to be brought from Barnsley to addresses in the city.
Anyone who sees Muhamadi is asked not to approach him but to call 999 quoting ‘South Yorkshire Police incident number 610 of 21 May 2026’.
We understand not everyone is comfortable speaking to the police directly. You can also report any information completely anonymously to Crimestoppers, either by calling 0800 555111 or by visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/