Burnham Calls for Deportation Review of Grooming Gang Ringleader
Andy Burnham has announced he will request the home and foreign secretaries to "review all possible options" to deport Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang. Ahmed is scheduled for release from prison this week after being convicted in 2012 of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls as young as 12.
Burnham, who is widely anticipated to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister later this month, expressed his desire to see Ahmed removed from the UK. Ahmed held dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction.
However, documents reportedly from the Probation Service and shared online indicate that Ahmed cannot be deported to Pakistan due to a legal provision that bars his removal.
Victims of Ahmed have voiced concerns for their safety ahead of his impending release.
In a post on X, Burnham stated:
"Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first.
I will ask the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options - and they should consider nothing is off the table."
Previous Calls for Deportation and Government Response
In 2022, while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham urged the Conservative government to "do everything" within its power to deport grooming gang members.
On the same day as Burnham's statement, Justice Minister Jake Richards told BBC's Politics Live that there have been longstanding challenges with deporting foreign national offenders to Pakistan.
"We need to try and work on that and see whether it's possible, but in this case, it seems unlikely," Richards said.
When asked if the law should be amended to permit Ahmed's deportation, Richards responded:
"I think it's very difficult to change the law to look retrospectively."
He added that he is "absolutely looking at this individual and if he is to be released from prison, looking at what we are doing to ensure, firstly, to look after his victims and keeping the community safe."
Victims' Concerns and Support
One victim, identified only as "Ruby," is receiving support from The Maggie Oliver Foundation, established by Maggie Oliver, a former police detective and whistleblower on grooming gangs.
Ruby stated:
"I'm scared for my safety and my kids' safety.
The main ringleader is getting out of prison, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, so even if he's not in that area, he still knows people and has a chance to talk to people from that area and that makes me unsafe."
Oliver told night that Ruby is "quite rightly scared, but feels that she is once again an afterthought."
Home Office Statement and Legal Barriers to Deportation
The Home Office described Ahmed's crimes as "appalling" and stated that he will be subject to stringent licence conditions upon release.
Ahmed must initially reside in supervised accommodation 24/7 and will be restricted by an "exclusion zone" centered on Rochdale.
Documents published online indicate that Ahmed cannot be deported to Pakistan due to provisions under the Immigration Act 1971. The act stipulates that because Ahmed arrived in the UK before 1973 and lived in the country for at least five years before deportation was considered, his removal is barred.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
"Ahmed's horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country's history.
The most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists, and must face the full force of the law."
Background on the Rochdale Grooming Gang Case
Ahmed was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court. He was one of nine men convicted in the Rochdale grooming gang trial for offences against five girls.
Police indicated that as many as 50 girls may have been victims of the gang, many of whom came from "chaotic" backgrounds and council estates.
Judge Gerald Clifton remarked that the victims were treated "as though they were worthless and beyond any respect" because they were not part of the gang's community or religion.
Greater Manchester Police stated at the time that there was no "racial or cultural" element to the crimes.
A subsequent report found that police had failed to act despite multiple concerns being raised, describing "serious multiple failures" by police and local authorities.
