Shabir Ahmed, the 73-year-old ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, was freed from HMP Leeds on Thursday despite being assessed as posing a “very high risk of serious harm” towards children just three years ago, the Guardian can reveal. Ahmed, who was jailed in 2012 for rape, abuse and trafficking of girls, had three failed parole attempts, the most recent in October 2024. A 2023 Parole Board document states he presented a “high risk of sexual offending”.
One of Ahmed’s victims, Amber, said she felt “physically sick” and unable to sleep knowing he was back on the streets. She was among about 50 girls abused by Ahmed and his associates from around 2008. A judge at the time noted the girls were treated “as though they were worthless” due to their ethnicity and religion. Amber said she was not informed of Ahmed’s release by police or the Prison Service, learning about it from a friend’s message.
Ahmed, who asked victims to call him “daddy”, was sentenced to 22 years. He was stripped of British citizenship but cannot be deported to Pakistan because he arrived in the UK before 1971 and has lived here over five years. Andy Burnham has pledged to explore closing that legal loophole.
Parole Board documents confirm Ahmed refused to engage with offender programmes or acknowledge his crimes. The 2023 review noted his plan for release was underdeveloped and his risk unmanageable in the community. The 2024 review said plans were “not robust enough”. However, his release was automatic after serving two-thirds of his sentence, bypassing the Parole Board's role.
Amber expressed fear of Ahmed’s associates rather than Ahmed himself, calling herself a potential target. Though Ahmed is banned from parts of Greater Manchester including Rochdale, she questioned the effectiveness: “What’s to say that his mates aren’t [allowed in the exclusion zone]?” She has contacted her children’s school about safety concerns, saying she has received no support from authorities.
