The ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, has been released from prison, sparking a fierce debate over whether he should be deported.
Ahmed, who led a network of men who sexually exploited teenage girls in the Greater Manchester town, has served his sentence. But his release has reignited questions about why he remains in the UK. Under laws governing deportation of foreign-born criminals, the Home Office has faced scrutiny over its handling of the case.
“Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed released from prison amid deportation row.”
The controversy has drawn in key figures from the original scandal. Maggie Oliver, the former detective constable with Greater Manchester Police who blew the whistle on the Rochdale grooming ring, and David Enright, one of the lead lawyers of the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and a partner at Howe and Co, have both spoken out in the debate.
Ahmed's case is the latest in a long-running row over the deportation of convicted child abusers. The men he led were jailed for offences including rape, trafficking and conspiracy. Now, with his release, the political and legal pressure to remove him has intensified.
The Home Office has not yet commented on the specifics of Ahmed's case, but the issue is set to remain a flashpoint as campaigners and politicians demand answers. For the victims of the Rochdale gang, his freedom is a bitter reminder of a justice system that many say has failed them.