Shabir Ahmed, the 73-year-old ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang, is scheduled for release from prison this week. Despite his past convictions for multiple sexual offenses against minors, officials have confirmed that he cannot be deported. Known to victims as ‘Daddy,’ Ahmed was imprisoned in 2012 for a 19-year sentence after his gang targeted young girls, some as young as 12, through systematic exploitation involving drugs, alcohol, and violence.
Although Ahmed was previously stripped of his British citizenship, current UK immigration laws prevent his removal. Specifically, the Immigration Act 1971 protects individuals who arrived in the UK before 1973 and maintained residency for five years prior to deportation considerations. Consequently, authorities are unable to return him to Pakistan.
Upon his release, Ahmed will be subject to strict supervision. He is required to reside in 24-hour monitored housing and must adhere to an exclusion zone that prohibits him from entering the Rochdale area. Furthermore, he remains on the sex offenders’ register for life, with the Home Office warning that any violation of his release conditions will result in his immediate return to custody. Local representatives have expressed frustration regarding the legal inability to remove him, noting that the public views his continued presence in the country as unacceptable.
