Rochdale grooming gang ringleader cannot be deported, victims told

The ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang is due to be released from prison this week and cannot be deported from the country, his victims have been told. Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as “Daddy”, was convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls in 2012. Ahmed had dual British-Pakistan citizenship and was stripped of his British citizenship after his conviction, but documents published online, apparently sent by the Probation Service to one of his victims, say he cannot be deported to Pakistan due to provisions in the Immigration Act 1971. He is prevented from being removed because he arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived in the country for at least five years before his deportation was considered. It is understood Ahmed, who is due to be freed from prison on 2 July, will be released on licence, must initially live at accommodation with 24-hour staffing and will be subject to an “exclusion zone” centred on Rochdale. In 2022, Andy Burnham, who is expected to replace Keir Starmer as the next prime minister, called on the Tory government “to do everything within [its] power to deport grooming gang members”. Paul Waugh, the Labour MP for Rochdale, told the Daily Telegraph that ministers should look at amending the act if necessary to facilitate Ahmed’s removal. “The people of Rochdale want him booted out of the country,” he said. …