Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang that abused girls as young as 12, is due to walk free from prison on Thursday – and Andy Burnham, the Labour leader-in-waiting, has declared that “nothing is off the table” to get him out of the country.
Ahmed, 73, was convicted in 2012 of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls, some as young as 13. He was known as “Daddy” to his victims and sentenced to 22 years for his role in a gang that police said had as many as 50 victims. At the time, his victims were told he would be deported.
“Andy Burnham vows to explore 'all options' to deport Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed as he nears release.”
But documents reportedly from the Probation Service, shared online, reveal that Ahmed cannot be deported to Pakistan – where he was born – because of the Immigration Act 1971. He arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived here for at least five years before his deportation was considered, a bar under that law. Although he had dual British-Pakistani citizenship and no longer holds British citizenship, the provision blocks his removal.
Burnham, who is widely expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister on 20 July, said on Wednesday: “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.”
The Home Office responded: “We are committed to doing everything possible to deport FNOs [foreign national offenders] and are clear they should have no place in this country. As previous governments have found, this necessarily involves the agreement of the receiving country, which has not always been possible. But we are currently working with colleagues across government to explore all possible options in this case.”
Justice Minister Jake Richards told the BBC’s Politics Live there were long-standing issues with “our ability to deport foreign national offenders to Pakistan”. Asked if the law should be changed, he said: “I think it’s very difficult to change the law to look retrospectively.” But he added he was “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”.
Ahmed will be released on licence and banned from Rochdale – but his victims remain terrified. One, known only as “Ruby”, said in a statement: “I’m scared for my safety and my kids’ safety.”
The father of a woman who was a main prosecution witness – referred to as Girl A, who was groomed and abused from the age of 12 – called on Burnham to lift the “statute of limitations” so Ahmed can be removed. “My daughter’s life has been turned upside down, and remains upside down, and the reason is Shabir Ahmed,” he said. “This man is a racist paedophile, a horrible man who showed no remorse. … Calling for him to be removed is not a racist position.”
With Ahmed’s release hours away, the question of how Britain can rid itself of one of its most notorious sex offenders remains unanswered.