Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Shabir Ahmed to be released under strict monitoring
Shabir Ahmed, 73, is due to leave prison despite being stripped of British citizenship. A legal loophole prevents his deportation to Pakistan.
Rochdale ringleader walks free as deportation blocked by 1971 immigration law
Shabir Ahmed, 73, a convicted ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, is due to be released from prison on Thursday after serving part of sentences totalling more than 40 years for rape and child sexual offences, the Daily Express reports. Although Ahmed has been stripped of his British citizenship, legal provisions prevent the Home Office from deporting him from the United Kingdom.
The barrier stems from the Immigration Act 1971, which exempts certain Commonwealth nationals who entered the UK before 1973 from deportation. Ahmed, originally from Pakistan, falls within that category, meaning he cannot be removed despite having lost his citizenship while in custody.
He will instead remain in the UK under strict monitoring conditions. These include lifelong inclusion on the sex offenders' register, electronic tagging, curfews, exclusion zones, and 24-hour supervised accommodation. Authorities say any breach of those conditions will result in his immediate return to custody.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Ahmed's horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country's history. The most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists and must face the full force of the law."
The spokesman added that Ahmed will be ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person. Should he breach his licence conditions, the spokesman confirmed, "he will be immediately locked up."
His release arrangements were set out in correspondence sent directly to one of his victims, which details the licence terms including a Rochdale exclusion zone. The letter also confirms he will be barred from re-entering the UK should he leave the country voluntarily.
Ahmed's case mirrors those of fellow Rochdale ringleaders Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan, who were also jailed in 2012 and subsequently stripped of UK citizenship. Both men remain in the country because they have renounced their Pakistani nationality, leaving no viable destination for deportation. Negotiations between UK and Pakistani authorities over their return have been ongoing for more than a year without resolution.
Rauf and Khan were among a nine-man gang convicted of sexually assaulting 47 girls over a two-year period in Rochdale. Victims were plied with alcohol and drugs before being exploited.
The case has also drawn renewed scrutiny to Ahmed's former employment. Three years ago it emerged that he had previously worked as a welfare rights officer at Oldham Council. A later review found that Greater Manchester Police had failed to pass on information about his arrest for sexual offences against children, despite concerns having been raised. Investigators concluded there had been "serious multiple failures" by the force and the local authority, and said that earlier disclosure may have prevented further abuse.
Political pressure around the release has intensified. Jess Phillips, Labour's former safeguarding minister, has urged the Government to exclude child rapists from early release programmes planned for September, calling for exemptions to ensure those convicted of the most serious sexual offences against children are not freed early. The Conservative Party has described the plans as "disgraceful" and has asked ministers for clarity on how many serious sexual offenders may be affected and when they could be released.
Source: Daily Express