Shabir Ahmed, 73, a ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang convicted of 30 child rapes, has been released from prison but cannot be deported from the UK under the Immigration Act 1971, despite having his British citizenship revoked. The law protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 from deportation.
Release and Restrictions
Ahmed was released today after serving his sentence. He is permitted to remain in the UK due to the Immigration Act 1971, which prevents the deportation of Commonwealth citizens who entered the country prior to 1973. Instead of removal, Ahmed will live in a local community under strict conditions, including curfews, restrictions, and exclusion zones.
Victims of Ahmed have been notified by email of his impending release. The Victim Contact scheme informed them that Ahmed will be subject to an exclusion zone covering the entire borough of Rochdale until June 10, 2034. The correspondence confirmed that every possible avenue to remove Ahmed from the country had been thoroughly investigated, but deportation remains impossible as Ahmed has renounced his Pakistani citizenship.
Background and Conviction
Ahmed was sentenced in 2012 to concurrent terms of 22 and 19 years for his role in the Rochdale grooming gang. He was one of nine men found guilty of sexual offences against children, whom the gang groomed at two takeaway shops in Rochdale. Prosecutors identified Ahmed as a ringleader. During his trial, the court heard how he abused one girl for more than a decade, treating her as a "possession" for his own sexual gratification.
Ahmed emigrated to the UK from Pakistan but had his citizenship stripped following his conviction. However, the Immigration Act 1971 protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 from deportation. It is believed that should Ahmed leave the UK, he would be barred from returning.
Government and Home Office Response
For more than a year, the Home Office endeavoured to persuade Pakistan to take back Ahmed and other members of the Rochdale grooming gang who have forfeited their British citizenship while also renouncing their Pakistani nationality. A Home Office spokesperson stated: "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of these appalling crimes. 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 spokesperson added: "On his release he will be on the sex offender's register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person. As well as facing strict curfews and restriction zones, his every movement will be tracked, forced to wear an electronic tag. Should he breach his conditions, he will be immediately locked up."
