Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed released from prison as deportation row deepens

The ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, has been released from prison – reigniting a fierce debate over why he cannot be deported. Ahmed, who orchestrated the systematic sexual exploitation of young girls in the town, walked free despite years of public anger and repeated calls for his removal from the UK. The deportation row has intensified as questions mount over the legal barriers preventing his return to Pakistan. Maggie Oliver, the former Detective Constable with Greater Manchester Police who blew the whistle on the Rochdale grooming scandal, has spoken about the case alongside David Enright, one of the lead lawyers of the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and a partner at Howe and Co. Their comments, made to Channel 4 News correspondent Ayshah Tull on 2 July 2026, have added fresh scrutiny to a case that has long symbolised the failures of the justice and immigration systems. Oliver, who risked her career to expose the abuse, and Enright, who has represented victims in the official inquiry, have both called for transparency over the decisions that allowed Ahmed to remain in the country. But with the ringleader now free, the question remains: what will stop him from offending again?