Child-rape sentence reignites scrutiny of UK high street mini-marts

Being bribed with vapes and alcohol by mini-mart workers is a "normal" thing to hear about, two schoolgirls tell us on Hexthorpe Rd in Doncaster.

They say they are frightened to walk through the area, saying they have heard stories on social media about local girls being targeted. "It makes you scared," one tells us.

Bawan Harwe, a 28-year-old Iraqi national, lured underage girls back to his flat - also on Hexthorpe Road - with the promise of free vapes and cash.

Sheffield Crown Court heard Harwe targeted the victims because of their age, plied them with drink and drugs, and raped or abused them. The youngest victim was 12 years old.

The BBC understands Harwe is seeking asylum but the Home Office says it cannot confirm his status in the UK for legal reasons.

A co-worker, Sharam Muhamadi, originally from Iran, has also been convicted of facilitating travel for exploitation. There is now a manhunt to find him after he fled the trial.

The case has thrown a spotlight once again on crimes and illegal activity centred around mini-marts in the UK.

BBC investigations have exposed - over the past 18 months - the sale of cocaine and cannabis over the counter at mini-marts, as well as child sexual exploitation, money laundering and immigration crime.

Locals living near Hexthorpe Mini Market, where Harwe and Muhamadi worked, told us they were horrified but not surprised by the pair's crimes.

The street, in one of the poorest areas of Doncaster, is lined with such shops.

Residents told us that crime in the area was being fuelled by the sale of illegal cigarettes and vapes.

It is a situation we have seen reflected in many other high streets across the UK.

One local woman, who did not wish to be named, told us she thought the area had become "lawless".

She remembered confronting Harwe about selling illegal cigarettes in his shop, and threatening to report her concerns to the police.

She said he replied: "Do you think we're scared of police?"

Without the mini-marts, she believed, the abuse would never have happened.

A local business owner, who also wished to remain anonymous, told us he was "disgusted" when he heard about the girls being drugged and raped.

He said he had reported the sales of illegal tobacco and vapes, under-age sales to children and anti-social behaviour to Doncaster council.

Multiple raids at the shop had taken place, he said, but added that it did not seem to affect business. An hour after Trading Standards left they would start selling again "straight away", he said.

He was angry and frustrated that law enforcement did not close the shops down.

Several other people told us that Hexthorpe Mini Market had been visited repeatedly by police and Trading Standards officers. Several people told us they had seen sacks of illegal cigarettes being carried out from the shop.

South Yorkshire police confirmed it was aware of enforcement action being carried out inside Hexthorpe Mini Market. City of Doncaster Council said it would not comment on ongoing investigations.

We sent undercover researchers inside the shop, where they were able to buy a packet of 20 counterfeit cigarettes for £4. We were also able to buy illegal tobacco from another mini-mart on the street.

During the trial, the jury heard that a man known as "Karzan" had arranged Harwe and Muhamadi's jobs, and their accommodation in a neighbouring flat.

The same name was repeatedly given to us on Hexthorpe Road by locals, including workers at the shop, but it is not mentioned on any official paperwork for the premises.

Karzan Hussein is named on two other businesses on Hexthorpe Road and was granted an alcohol licence by Doncaster council in May.

In a phone call, he confirmed to the BBC he had given jobs in Doncaster to Muhamadi and rented rooms in his house on Hexthorpe Road to both Barwan and Muhamadi.

Hussein said he was previously a manager at Hexthorpe Mini Market but now had nothing to do with the shop. Despite offering work and accommodation to the two convicted men, he denied knowing them or being involved in the sale of illegal tobacco.

There is no evidence Hussein knew about the abuse on the street.

During our UK-wide investigations we have reported other cases where mini-mart and vape shop workers have abused children.

In March, we told how a senior council worker had repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused on high streets.

Extracts from intelligence briefings, from 2019 to 2024, also claim children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.

"Shops have been a disturbing blind spot for police and councils' Trading Standards departments," says David Greenwood, a solicitor who represents survivors of grooming and sexual abuse.

He believes the government's independent inquiry into grooming should contain a focus on high-street shops.

The move has been welcomed by Trading Standards teams but in areas such as Hexthorpe Road, where some have spent decades building their businesses, there is little faith that crime gangs can be driven from the streets.

We were told by several local people that one mini-mart on the street was now selling prescription medicines, including anti-depressants, pregabalins and the weight loss drug, Mounjaro.

"So many good customers we used to have, all moved away because of this nuisance in Hexthorpe right now," one business owner told us. "This community was destroyed a long time ago."

Additional reporting by Brij Patel and Phill Edwards