Shabir Ahmed, the convicted leader of the Rochdale grooming gang, is not in Bury or any location in Greater Manchester, the Manchester Evening News has learned from a senior, well-placed source. This confirmation comes after online speculation suggested Ahmed had been spotted in Bury town centre, following news that he had been moved from a hostel in Accrington, Lancashire.
False Rumors Debunked
One post shared thousands of times claimed Ahmed had been seen sitting on a bench outside a McDonald's and a British Heart Foundation store in Bury. However, the source has confirmed that he is not in Bury nor any part of Greater Manchester. James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North, said: “I’ve seen the deeply concerning reports claiming that Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed is in Bury. I immediately sought urgent reassurance from Greater Manchester Police. I can now confirm that those claims are completely false.”
Frith added: “Shabir Ahmed’s release has been managed by the Probation Service, and he has been located outside Greater Manchester. My first thoughts are with Ahmed’s victims and every survivor of child sexual exploitation. His release has already caused immense distress and reopened deep wounds. The spread of false rumours and deliberate online speculation only compounds that trauma.”
Background of the Case
Ahmed led a nine-strong gang convicted of exploiting girls as young as 13, whom they met and groomed at Tasty Bites and another takeaway in Heywood from 2007. A former taxi driver known to his victims as 'Daddy', Ahmed was jailed for 22 years in 2012 after being convicted of rape and multiple other sexual offences across two trials. He was released earlier this month after serving 14 years.
The 73-year-old has been stripped of his British citizenship, leaving him with only Pakistani citizenship. However, he cannot currently be deported due to a 1971 law that forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago. The government has announced plans to change the law to facilitate his removal, but Pakistan is resisting any move to return him there.
Conditions of Release and Public Reaction
Ahmed cannot return to his former home address in Oldham and is excluded from parts of Rochdale. He is subject to stringent licence conditions, including staying at approved accommodation staffed 24 hours a day. However, the disclosure of his original hostel address in Accrington caused uproar among residents. Hyndburn MP Sarah Smith said she pressured authorities to have him moved elsewhere.
“Since finding out that Shabir Ahmed had been released from prison into Hyndburn, I did everything in my power to get him removed. I can confirm that he has been moved,” Ms Smith said. “My thanks go to the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office, and Lancashire Police for ensuring this outcome. I am disgusted that he was ever here in the first place, and I join other MP colleagues who have been calling for a much wider exclusion zone so that he is not placed in Lancashire or the North West.”
Deportation Challenges
Despite a decade of attempts, none of the nine Rochdale grooming gang members has ever been deported. Five were never at risk due to British citizenship granted after arrival from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Four were dual British-Pakistani nationals, but efforts to revoke citizenship and deport them failed due to legal challenges citing human rights, family impact, and Pakistan's refusal to accept them.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman previously said: “Public protection is our top priority. This offender is subject to the toughest supervision possible and he will be on the sex offenders register for life. He is also banned from contacting his victims, or any child or young person, and has his movements tracked.”
Former Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans to include provisions in the Immigration and Asylum Bill to remove immunity under the 1971 Immigration Act, but admitted deportation is impossible without Pakistan's agreement.
