Ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang 'cannot be deported'
Shabir Ahmed was the head of a gang which abused girls as young as 12
The ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang is set to be released from jail this week and cannot be deported, his victims have been informed.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as "Daddy", held dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of his British citizenship following his 2012 conviction for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls.
Documents reportedly from the Probation Service, shared online with one of his victims, indicate that Ahmed will be released on Thursday.
The Home Office described Ahmed's crimes as "appalling" and stated he will be subject to stringent licence conditions upon release.
Ahmed is required to live initially in supervised accommodation 24/7 and will be restricted by an "exclusion zone" centered on Rochdale.
The documents published online state 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.
'Violent bully'
In 2022, Andy Burnham, a likely successor to Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, urged the Conservative government "to do everything within [its] power" to deport members of grooming gangs.
Paul Waugh, MP for Rochdale, told The Daily Telegraph:
"The people of Rochdale want him booted out of the country and it's simply unacceptable that the government of Pakistan are refusing to take him back.
"If the Citizenship Act needs to be amended to do that, ministers should look at doing just that."
Between early 2008 and 2010, girls as young as 12 were given alcohol and drugs, gang-raped in rooms above takeaway shops, and transported to various flats in taxis where cash was paid to use the girls for sex.
Ahmed was described in court as a "violent, hypocritical bully".
During his trial, he called the judge a "racist" and later took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming he had not received a fair trial.
'Multiple failures'
Ahmed was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court, one of nine men convicted in the Rochdale grooming gang trial for offences against five girls.
Police indicated that as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang, many of whom came from "chaotic", "council estate" backgrounds.
Judge Gerald Clifton stated that 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 said at the time 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 the situation as "serious multiple failures" by police and local authorities.
Ahmed's case follows similar legal battles by two other gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan.
Both were stripped of their British citizenship in 2022 after lengthy legal proceedings reaching the Court of Appeal.
They invoked their human rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights—the right to a private and family life—to avoid deportation.
The Home Office has not confirmed whether either man has been deported.
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."
The spokesperson added that Ahmed must sign the sex offenders' register for life and that any breach of his licence conditions will result in immediate imprisonment.
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