Burnham calls for grooming gang ringleader to be deported
BBC News 2026-07-01 16:56:41
Context: Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is calling for Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang, to be deported after his release from jail this week. Ahmed, who has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, was convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls as young as 12 in 2012 and was stripped of his British citizenship. The Home Office is working with other government departments to explore options in the case, but documents suggest that Ahmed cannot be deported back to Pakistan due to a law that bars his removal.
Key Facts
- Shabir Ahmed was the head of a gang that abused girls as young as 12 in Rochdale, and was convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences in 2012.
- Ahmed was jailed for 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court, as one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang trial convicted of offences against five girls, with police suggesting that as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang.
- Ahmed has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, but was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction, and the Home Office is working with other government departments to explore options for his deportation.
- Despite Burnham's calls for deportation, documents shared online suggest that Ahmed cannot be deported back to Pakistan because of provisions under the Immigration Act 1971, which bars his removal due to his arrival in the UK before 1973 and residence in the country for at least five years before his deportation was considered.
- Upon his release from prison, Ahmed will be subject to stringent licence conditions, including living in supervised accommodation 24/7 and an "exclusion zone" centred on Rochdale, with one victim, "Ruby", expressing fears for her safety and that of her children due to Ahmed's expected release.