30 June 2026 , 18:28
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A grooming gang ringleader convicted of 30 child rapes reportedly can’t be deported from the UK despite having his citizenship removed.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, a key figure in the Rochdale grooming gang is set to be freed from jail in days. The serial child rapist settled in the UK from Pakistan but had his citizenship removed after being sentenced for his grotesque crimes.
However Ahmed is to stay in the UK due to the Immigration Act 1971. The act protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK prior to 1973 from removal. Instead of leaving the UK Ahmed will be allowed to live in a local community and operate under a number of curfews, restrictions and exclusion zones.
Ahmed was thrown behind bars in 2012 for concurrent sentences of 22 and 19 years. The child rapist was one of nine men who were convicted of sexual offences towards children who the group groomed at two takeaway restaurants in Rochdale. Ahmed was identified as one of the group’s ringleaders by prosecutors.
The serial abuser is due to be released on July 2 this year after 14 years behind bars, the Media reports. During Ahmed’s trial a court heard he abused one girl for more than a decade using her as a "possession" for his sexual gratification.
Ahmed’s victims have reportedly been informed by email that the man is due to be released on July 2 this year. The Oldham Chronicle reports the Victim Contact scheme informed Ahmed’s victims he will be subject to an exclusion zone which encompasses the entire borough of Rochdale until June 10, 2034.
The email added all possible routes to remove Ahmed from the country had been explored. But despite this it is not possible due to Ahmed having renounced his Pakistani citizenship. It is understood if Ahmed leaves the UK he will be barred from returning to the country. For more than a year the Home Office attempted to persuade Pakistan to take back Ahmed and other members of the Rochdale grooming gang who have been stripped of their British citizenship but have renounced their Pakistani one.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “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.
“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.”
Technology & Business Editor