Exclusive:Underage victims of grooming suspects have 'every reason to lie' about alleged abuse, claims defence barrister
“Maybe they were foolish, and they regret it later?”
The defence barrister of a man charged with grooming seven underage girls claims the alleged victims have “every reason to lie.”
A trial is underway at Sheffield Crown Court for two men charged with trafficking and sexually abusing teenagers by plying them with alcohol, cash, drugs and e-cigarettes.
The girls, some of whom were known to each other, were allegedly targeted through Snapchat and abused by defendants Bawan Harwe, 28, and Sharam Muhamadi, 20, in 2024.
Today (June 4), the defence teams of both men set out to the jury why they say their clients are not guilty of rape - namely, that the girls are lying and they simply “regret” having sex for money.
Much of the trial has been watching the video interviews the girls - all aged between 12 and 15 - gave police, where they described being introduced to Harwe through Snapchat before being groomed with money and e-cigarettes, transported to an address and raped repeatedly.
“We say, when you actually examine the evidence, with care and in detail, that this is not rape,” Harwe’s barrister, Mr David Brookes KC, told the jury.
“I would hope, after seeing these videos, that you are seeing a pattern emerge.
“From the girls’ accounts, you would know that they were having sex with him in return for e-cigarettes and money.
“This was the deal they made.
“The stark truth of it is this - they have got every reason to lie, haven’t they? Rather than actually admit what they’ve done.
“Having sex for money and e-cigarettes is pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?”
In respect of two of the girls’ evidence, Mr Brookes said: “These are two underage girls, and they were underage, and no doubt they were scared - but maybe they were foolish, and they regret it later? To fend off any blame for what they actually did?”
Harwe has admitted one count of rape in respect of one of the girls, who was aged just 12 at the time he reportedly plied her with cocaine and raped her.
He claims he did not know any of the girls were underage, or that they lied to him about their age.
Mr Brookes said: “He slept with a girl who turned out to be 12 - and a lot of other girls, who turned out to be underage.
“But, ladies and gentlemen - you’ve seen this girl. She does not look 12. And when asked, she told the defendant she was 16.
“[Harwe] could have instead been charged with underage sex offences but no, the prosecution said it must have been rape. When you actually examine the evidence, we say this is not rape.”
Muhamadi’s barrister, Mr Bryan Cox KC, told the jury his client was “not an enthusiastic participant” in respect of the two girls he is charged with assaulting, that there was no DNA evidence against him, and asked the jury not to “lump him in” with Harwe.
Mr Cox said: “You could argue that Harwe was sexually exploiting these young girls, and his interest in young girls is obvious.
“[But] the evidence is that [Muhamadi] was complaining about the ages of the girls, and said ‘these girls are too young, they shouldn’t be here’.”
The charges faced by the defendants
The defendants are accused of a total of 21 offences between them, with both men accused of multiple counts of rape and trafficking charges.
They deny the charges.
However, Harwe, 28, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to one count of rape committed against the 12-year-old victim.
He denies one further count of rape of a child under 13, along with five counts of rape of a girl aged 13/14/15; two counts of adult meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming; two counts of false imprisonment and six counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.
Muhamadi, now aged 20, of Hexthorpe Road, Doncaster, denies one count of rape of a girl aged 13/14/15; one count of rape of a girl under 13 and three counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view of exploitation.