The leader of the well-known Rochdale grooming gang is scheduled for release this week, and his victims have been informed that he cannot be deported. Shabir Ahmed, nicknamed “Daddy” by his victims, had dual British-Pakistani citizenship but lost his British citizenship in 2012 after being convicted of numerous rapes and sexual offenses against young girls.
According to documents reportedly from the Probation Service sent to one of his victims, Ahmed will be released on Thursday. However, he cannot be sent back to Pakistan due to regulations in the Immigration Act 1971, which prevent his deportation based on his arrival in the UK before 1973 and having lived in the country for at least five years before deportation consideration.
In 2022, Andy Burnham, expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as the next prime minister, urged the Tory government to take all possible measures to deport grooming gang members. Ahmed is set to be released on license and will initially reside in a supervised accommodation with a 24-hour staff presence, subject to an exclusion zone centered around Rochdale.
Paul Waugh, the MP for Rochdale, expressed that the citizens of Rochdale demand Ahmed’s expulsion from the country, condemning Pakistan for refusing to accept him back. He suggested amending the Citizenship Act if necessary to facilitate the deportation process.
During a two-year period starting in early 2008, underage girls were supplied with alcohol and drugs, sexually assaulted by the gang in locations above takeaway establishments, and transported to various apartments in taxis where they were exploited for sex in exchange for money.
Following his trial, Ahmed insulted the judge and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights alleging an unfair trial. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court as one of nine men found guilty in the Rochdale grooming gang trial involving offenses against five girls.
Police disclosed that the victims came from troubled backgrounds in council estates, with up to 50 girls potentially being victims of the gang. Judge Gerald Clifton criticized the gang for devaluing and disrespecting the victims who were not part of their community or religion.
Authorities clarified that the crimes were not motivated by racial or cultural factors. A subsequent report revealed significant failures by the police and local authorities despite multiple red flags being raised.
Ahmed’s case mirrors the legal battles of two other gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, who were also stripped of their British citizenship in 2022, a decade after their convictions, after invoking human rights laws to avoid deportation.
The Home Office has not confirmed whether Rauf and Khan have been deported. A Home Office spokesperson emphasized the gravity of Ahmed’s crimes, stating that he would be closely monitored upon release, registered as a sex offender for life, prohibited from contacting victims or minors, and subject to strict supervision and tracking measures. Violations would result in immediate incarceration.