Politicians from across the region have joined to call for Shabir Ahmed, one of the ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming gangs to be deported on his release from prison tomorrow
He had dual British-Pakistan citizenship but was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction.
He is shielded from deportation due to legal protections under the Immigration Act 1971.
Ahmed was convicted of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with children, rape, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault, trafficking girls for sexual exploitation and later received a further sentence for 30 child rape offences against one victim.
The girls, overwhelmingly White British, were groomed with alcohol and drugs, repeatedly raped, passed around between offenders
Oldham MP Jim McMahon said that Shabir Ahmed (or any other child rapist for that matter) should not be afforded the protection from deportation designed to give security to decent to law abiding commonwealth citizens here prior to 1973.
“It’s a loophole which should be closed, or another route should be found to deport him now the custodial sentence has been served.”
MPs have met with the Justice Minister and Probation Service and have been given an assurance that his license conditions will exclude him from Rochdale (including Heywood) and Oldham. He will be tagged and monitored by GPS, alongside other restrictions. But he remains a high risk to society and ultimately should not be allowed to remain here.
Andy Burnham has also joined the outcry writing on X
”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.
