Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed released on licence; deportation barred

Shabir Ahmed was released amid outrage from survivors and politicians (Picture: PA) A victim of the Rochdale grooming gang has been given extra police protection after the release of the gang’s leader Shabir Ahmed. Ruby, who was 12 when Ahmed’s group began abusing her, has been given an ‘urgent response marker’ by Greater Manchester police (GMP), which allows for rapid deployment to her home. Officers are treating her as a ‘high-risk victim’ after they were told ‘Ruby does not feel safe with Ahmed in the community.’ Ahmed, 73, who wanted to be known as ‘Daddy’ to his victims, left prison on Thursday after 14 years in jail for multiple rape and sexual offences against young girls. The terms of Ahmed’s release are understood to be that he must initially live in secure accommodation and cannot enter an ‘exclusion zone’ centred on Rochdale. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. There is widespread anger among survivors and politicians that Ahmed cannot be deported because of niche law. Ruby previously spoke out to say she was scared for the safety and her kids over his release. There have since been talks with GMP officers about her security and she has been given an app to download on to her phone to contact police should she feel in danger. Whistleblower Maggie Oliver said Ruby has never been so frightened or angry over Ahmed’s release (Credits: PA) Ruby was threatened at gunpoint in 2011 by someone linked to Ahmed’s gang, who said he would ‘shoot her’ if she went to police. She bumped into one of her abusers, Ahmed’s friend Adil Khan, in a Rochdale Asda in 2018, after he was released from prison. Khan is currently thought to have left the UK. Maggie Oliver, a police whistleblower who helped expose the handling and cover up of the Rochdale grooming gang, said: ‘I’ve known Ruby for 15 years and supported her through everything. ‘And in 15 years I’ve never seen her so frightened, feeling so angry and powerless and triggered and actually outraged. ‘She was promised so many things. She was promised therapy, a team to support her, and that her abusers would be deported. None of it has happened.’ Oliver revealed she met GMP last week to organise security for Ruby at her home in Rochdale. The campaigner added: ‘None of that was done for her. I had to ask for it. She’s been set up now for her safety. She’s in a mess. She’s fearful, and rightly so. ‘She’s been threatened at gunpoint, her and Amber, and told not to go to the police. That man was never prosecuted.’ Ahmed’s release has also triggered the police to tighten security provisions around other victims of the gang. Oliver said many of those victims had not been informed about Ahmed’s release. A political storm has erupted over Ahmed’s freedom from prison. Lawmakers have admitted that the Immigration Act 1971 means he can not be deported to Pakistan, where he was born, even though he has already been stripped of British citizenship. The Foreign Office is now understood to be engaging in the ‘diplomatic route’ with Pakistan in order to deport Ahmed, potentially using visa sanctions, withholding foreign aid, or other financial sanctions. James Murray, the health secretary, said on Sunday that the home secretary Shabana Mahmood is ‘doing everything she can’ to remove Ahmed. He told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: ‘I know that the home secretary and the foreign secretary were working on this, looking at all options to get him out of the country, because it just feels wrong.’ Metro has spoken to another grooming gang survivor whose rapist was released early from prison, who said the ‘fear is real’ after Rochdale rape leader Shabir Ahmed walked free. Elizabeth Harper’s rapist, Asghar Bostan, was spotted near her house in Rotherham in 2024 after he was released early on parole. Elizabeth, who said she felt ‘sick’ at the time, said: ‘The fear is real, and it does come true sometimes.’ Asked about the release of Shabir Ahmed, Elizabeth told Metro: ‘It just goes to show how the system really isn’t working. ‘We are talking about an individual who organised a gang. He was the top of the hierarchy. ‘I just feel like again we are seeing the poor victims are at the bottom of the pile.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Asghar Bostan (right) was released early like Shabir Ahmed (left) A grooming gang survivor whose rapist was released early from prison has said the ‘fear is real’ after Rochdale rape leader Shabir Ahmed walked free today. Elizabeth Harper’s rapist, Asghar Bostan, was spotted near her house in Rotherham in 2024 after he was released early on parole. She is speaking out after the leader of the Rochdale grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, was freed from HMP Leeds today. Ahmed, 73, who wanted to be known as ‘Daddy’ to his victims, served 14 years in jail for multiple rape and sexual offences against young girls. The terms of Ahmed’s release are understood to be that he must initially live in secure accommodation and cannot enter an ‘exclusion zone’ centred on Rochdale. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a Rochdale child, walked free from prison today(Picture: PA) But his victims say they are still living in fear after being told Ahmed – who held dual British-Pakistani citizenship until the former was revoked – cannot be deported due to a niche law. Elizabeth said Ahmed’s victims had a right to be scared after what had happened to her. Her rapist Bostan left prison in August 2022 after he was jailed in 2018. Just like Ahmed’s, Elizabeth says Bostan’s licence conditions meant he could not return to Rotherham. However, in January 2024, Bostan was spotted in the town by her friend less than a mile away from her home. Bostan was then arrested and recalled to a category B prison for breaching his parole conditions. Elizabeth, who said she felt ‘sick’ at the time, said: ‘The fear is real, and it does come true sometimes.’ Asked about the release of Shabir Ahmed, Elizabeth told Metro: ‘It just goes to show how the system really isn’t working. ‘We are talking about an individual who organised a gang. He was the top of the hierarchy. ‘I just feel like again we are seeing the poor victims are at the bottom of the pile.’ Asghar Bostan was also released early (Picture: National Crime Agency) Lawmakers have admitted that the Immigration Act 1971 meant Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan, where he was born, even though he has already been stripped of his British citizenship Elizabeth said it was ‘absolutely disgusting’ that he could not be removed from the UK. The survivor said: ‘These loopholes keep appearing every time it is about grooming gangs. The loopholes need to be closed.’ Andy Burnham has said that if he becomes prime minister, ‘nothing is off the table’ to deport Ahmed. The Labour leader-in-waiting said he wanted to see the grooming gang ringleader removed from the country, and would ask senior government ministers to find a way to deport him. ‘Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first,’ he wrote on X. He added: ‘I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider nothing is off the table.’ Other victims have shared their fears about Ahmed’s release. One, identified only as ‘Ruby’, is being supported by The Maggie Oliver Foundation set up by Ms Oliver – an ex-police detective turned whistleblower over grooming gangs. Ruby said: ‘I’m scared for my safety and my kids’ safety. ‘The main ringleader is getting out of prison, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, so even if he’s not in that area, he still knows people and has a chance to talk to people from that area and that makes me unsafe.’ Ruby said victims of abuse had been given ‘false promises’ and left to ‘fend for themselves’ through a lack of support from the authorities, and called for a change in the law to get grooming gang members deported. Neil Emmott, the leader of Rochdale council, said he was very concerned about how the ‘deeply troubling’ news of Ahmed’s release would affect the survivors still living in the Greater Manchester town. He said: ‘I hope that the reports that he will not be allowed into our borough are accurate and that we never see him on our streets again. If he is seen in our borough, I will demand that he is sent back to prison immediately. As far as I’m concerned, they should have locked him up and thrown away the key.’ Ahmed had worked as a taxi driver but was also employed by Oldham Council as a benefits rights worker and seconded to the Oldham Pakistani Community Centre. At his trial, Ahmed called the judge a ‘racist bastard’ and took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming he did not get a fair trial. He was jailed for 19 years in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court, one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang trial convicted of offences against five girls. Police said the victims were from ‘chaotic council estate backgrounds’ and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. Judge Gerald Clifton said victims were treated ‘as though they were worthless and beyond any respect’ because they were not part of the gang’s community or religion. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said on Tuesday: ‘Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of these appalling crimes. ‘On his release, he will be on the sex offenders 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.’ Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Shabir Ahmed, ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gangThe Rochdale grooming gang leader has been released from prison – and, despite previous promises, is currently set to avoid deportation.Shabir Ahmed’s victims were told in 2012 that he would be deported after serving his sentence for 30 child rape and sexual offences charges.However, it now appears that he will not be sent to Pakistan, where he was born, despite being stripped of British citizenship.There’s been a furious response to the revelation, with multiple critics calling for an urgent change to the law.Here’s what we know so far.What Has Happened? Ahmed was one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang convicted of serious offences against five girls – some of whom were as young as 12.They were given alcohol and drugs before being gang-raped.He was jailed for 19 years but has now been released on licence, according to the BBC.He will be forced to live at accommodation with 24-hour staffing and he will be subject to an “exclusion zone” around Rochdale.Ahmed had dual British-Pakistan citizenship up until his conviction, when his British conviction removed.However, documents sent to one of his victims this week showed he cannot be deported due to provisions of the Immigration Act 1971.Having arrived in the UK before 1973, and having lived in the UK for at least five years before his deportation was considered, he is able to stay in the UK.“There are two problems here,” skills minister Jacqui Smith told LBC. “Number one, there are a very small number of people who came to this country over 50 years ago from Commonwealth countries where the law doesn’t allow them to be deported.“And, secondly, of course, in order to deport somebody, the country to which you are going to deport them needs to be willing to take them.“We’ve removed this man’s British citizenship. He’s a Pakistani citizen.“But there is also work that needs to happen in order to persuade Pakistan to take him back.”Has There Been Extensive Backlash?Labour MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh told the Daily Telegraph that ministers should look at changing the law.He said: “The people of Rochdale want him booted out of the country.”Labour MP Jim McMahon for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton said Ahmed is a “very dangerous individual” who poses a “real, present danger”.“It’s now been confirmed that he will not be allowed to return to either Oldham or Rochdale, but nevertheless that period has really been quite traumatic for many people,” he said.Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Today programme: “He’s a vile rapist who didn’t just organise the rape of young girls as young as 12 years old.“He actually ran a gang, doing it on a huge scale. He should be kicked out of the country, deported back to Pakistan, and the law needs to be changed.”The Conservative MP said he will be proposing an amending in the coming months to change the Immigration Act 1971.What Does The Government Say?Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is understood to be looking into the case and all options are being looked at.The spokesperson said: “The government will always consider all options in these vile cases.”A spokeswoman from No.10 said: “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.“He will rightly be on the sex offenders register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person.“His every movement will be tracked, forced to wear an electronic tag and, on this specific case, we cannot deport someone who is protected by the 1971 Immigration Act.“These were the same provisions which have protected many individuals caught up in the Windrush crisis.”Labour MP Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed Keir Starmer as prime minister in a matter of weeks, has said his government would explore “all possible options” to close the loopholes.He wrote on X: “Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first. I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options - and they should consider nothing is off the table.”In 2022, when he was Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham called on the Tory government to do “everything within [its] power to deport grooming gang members”.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Nick Robinson Accuses Top Tory Of 'Political Opportunism' Over Grooming Gangs ScandalGrooming Gangs Survivors Say Labour Minister Jess Phillips Must ResignLabour's Inquiry Into The Grooming Gangs Scandal Is In Crisis. Here's Why

Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a Rochdale child sex grooming gang who cited human rights laws(Picture: PA) Andy Burnham has said that if he becomes prime minister ‘nothing is off the table’ to deport the leader of the Rochdale grooming gang when he walks free from prison in just hours. Shabir Ahmed, 73, who wanted to be known as ‘Daddy’ to his victims, has served 14 years in jail for multiple rape and sexual offences against young girls. But his victims are now living in fear after being told Ahmed cannot be deported and will be free on Thursday. Lawmakers admitted that the Immigration Act 1971 meant he could not be deported to Pakistan, where he was born, even though he has already been stripped of British citizenship. The Labour leader-in-waiting said he wanted to see Ahmed removed from the country, and would ask senior Government ministers to find a way to deport him. ‘Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first,’ he wrote on social media site X. He added: ‘I will ask the Home and Foreign Secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider nothing is off the table.’ In 2022, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham called on the Tory government ‘to do everything within… the government’s power’ to deport grooming gang members. Victims have shared their fears about Ahmed’s release. One, identified only as ‘Ruby’, is being supported by The Maggie Oliver Foundation, set up by Ms Oliver, an ex-police detective turned whistleblower over grooming gangs. Ruby said: ‘I’m scared for my safety and my kids’ safety. This Is Not Right On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women. With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency. You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk. Read more: Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro's year-long violence against women campaign Remembering the women killed by men in 2024 ‘The main ringleader is getting out of prison, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, so even if he’s not in that area, he still knows people and has a chance to talk to people from that area and that makes me unsafe.’ Ruby said victims of abuse had been given ‘false promises’ and left to ‘fend for themselves’ through a lack of support from the authorities, and called for a change in the law to get grooming gang members deported. Billy Howarth, from Parents Against Grooming UK in Rochdale, said another victim had given him a statement about the release. She said: ‘The pending/recent release of Shabir Ahmed from prison has had a profound and debilitating impact on my life. ‘I live in a constant state of hypervigilance, fearing for my physical safety every time I leave my home. ‘This fear has caused severe anxiety, disrupted my sleep, and forced me to drastically alter my daily routines and social life simply to avoid a potential confrontation. ‘The psychological toll is exhausting, and I feel unable to live freely or safely while this individual poses an unmonitored risk to my wellbeing.’ Documents published online, apparently from the Probation Service to one of Ahmed’s victims, states he will be released on July 2 and cannot be deported back to Pakistan due to provisions in the Immigration Act 1971 which bar his removal. These are that he arrived in the UK before 1973 and has lived in the UK for at least five years before his deportation was considered. The failure to deport multiple men with dual nationality convicted of serious child sex offences in grooming gangs has caused deep anger in many communities and heaped pressure on politicians. Neil Emmott, the leader of Rochdale council, said he was very concerned about how the ‘deeply troubling’ news of Ahmed’s release would affect the survivors still living in the Greater Manchester town. He said: ‘I hope that the reports that he will not be allowed into our borough are accurate and that we never see him on our streets again. If he is seen in our borough, I will demand that he is sent back to prison immediately. As far as I’m concerned, they should have locked him up and thrown away the key.’ A national inquiry into grooming gangs was announced earlier this year after the Government came under increasing criticism. Ahmed is reportedly being held at HMP Leeds and it is understood he will be released on licence with terms that he must initially live at accommodation which is staffed 24 hours, so will not return to his last known address on Windsor Avenue in Oldham and is subject to an ‘exclusion zone’ centred on Rochdale. For two years from early 2008, girls as young as 12 were plied with alcohol and drugs, gang-raped in rooms above takeaway shops and ferried to different flats in taxis where cash was paid to use the girls for sex. Ahmed had worked as a taxi driver but was also employed by Oldham Council as a benefits rights worker and seconded to the Oldham Pakistani Community Centre. At his trial, Ahmed called the judge a ‘racist bastard’ and took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming he did not get a fair trial. He was jailed for 19 years in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court, one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang trial convicted of offences against five girls. Police said the victims were from ‘chaotic council estate backgrounds and as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. Judge Gerald Clifton said victims were treated ‘as though they were worthless and beyond any respect’ because they were not part of the gang’s community or religion. Greater Manchester Police said at the time there was no ‘racial or cultural’ element to the crimes. A report later found police did not act despite multiple concerns being raised, citing ‘serious multiple failures’ by police and local authorities. Ahmed’s case follows a similar legal battle by two other gang members, Qari Abdul Rauf and Adil Khan. Both were stripped of their British citizenship in 2022, 10 years after their convictions, after fighting a long legal battle which went all the way to the Court of Appeal. Both invoked their human rights under article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to a private and family life, to avoid deportation. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said on Tuesday: ‘Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of these appalling crimes. ‘On his release he will be on the sex offenders 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.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Meanwhile In The UK, You Simply Will Not Believe This... Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News, A convicted predator who helped destroy the lives of vulnerable girls as young as 13 is days away from freedom in Britain, while Pakistan refuses to take him and archaic rules shield him from removal. Shabir Ahmed's case lays bare how legal technicalities, political cowardice, and a refusal to enforce borders have turned the country into a revolving door for the most dangerous offenders. Ahmed, now 73, arrived in the UK long before 1973 as a Commonwealth citizen. He was convicted in 2012 at Liverpool Crown Court on multiple counts of rape, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault, and trafficking for sexual exploitation. He treated at least one victim as property, abusing her on an almost weekly basis. Part of a gang of nine men operating out of takeaways in the Heywood area of Rochdale, Ahmed and his associates targeted working-class girls from broken backgrounds. A grooming gang leader cannot be deported back to Pakistan despite being stripped of his British citizenship due to a loophole in legislation. Shabir Ahmed is set to be released from prison on Thursday. GB News National Reporter @CDP1882 has more. pic.twitter.com/Fdfv841Usm — GB News (@GBNEWS) June 30, 2026 He received lengthy sentences that later expanded. His British citizenship was stripped. Yet, ludicrously, he cannot be deported. The barrier is a provision in the Immigration Act 1971 that exempts Commonwealth citizens who arrived before 1973 and have long residence from removal. On release, expected imminently, Ahmed faces lifelong sex offender registration, exclusion zones around Rochdale, bans on contacting any child, strict curfews, and electronic tagging. Breaches mean immediate return to prison. Taxpayers will foot the bill for round-the-clock monitoring and staffed accommodation. Criminal Lawyer Marcus Johnstone, who has handled grooming gang cases for nearly two decades, pointed out that outdated laws combined with excessive human rights legislation have made Britain the destination of choice for international sex criminals. The gangs are sophisticated. The system that should remove them is not. 'When you think it can't get any worse, it does.' Criminal Lawyer Marcus Johnstone, reacts to a grooming gang leader who cannot be deported back to Pakistan after being released from prison despite being stripped of his British citizenship, due to a loophole in legislation. pic.twitter.com/4TH0VnJ6ZC — GB News (@GBNEWS) June 30, 2026 Home Office statements emphasise thoughts with victims and the "darkest moments" of the grooming gangs scandal, insisting the full force of the law will apply through these conditions. Labour MP Paul Waugh, whose Rochdale constituency was ground zero for the abuse, called Ahmed a "depraved paedophile" who should have been removed years ago. He said the people of Rochdale want him gone and urged ministers to amend the Citizenship Act if necessary. This case fits a wider, years-long scandal of institutional failure and political cowardice. Separate recent investigations laid bare mini-mart operations where vulnerable children were plied with alcohol and cigarettes in exchange for sexual abuse. Illegal shops were caught handing out free vapes to kids in return for sexual favours. And the weary response from parts of the establishment often boiled down to telling victims and the public to simply "get over it." The common thread is the same: authorities slow-walked or buried evidence, prioritised community relations over child safety, and treated any mention of ethnic or cultural patterns as radioactive. Official files had ethnicity redacted. In two-thirds of cases, perpetrator background went unrecorded. Police in some areas told victims the Asian men who abused them were "probably not going to catch them." A 2020 Home Office report, relying on hopelessly incomplete data, pushed the false narrative that most grooming perpetrators were white - a claim parroted in Parliament and by broadcasters even after it was exposed as statistical sleight-of-hand. The motivation was always the same: fear of "racism" accusations, dread of community tension, and the overriding imperative to protect the narrative that mass immigration and multiculturalism have been an unalloyed success. Working-class girls, often from broken homes or care systems, paid the price while officials and media looked the other way or actively smeared whistleblowers. While Ahmed prepares for supervised release, London Mayor Sadiq Khan faces renewed scrutiny over his past claims. In January 2025 he told the London Assembly there were "no reported cases and also no indication of the grooming gangs" in the capital. A Metropolitan Police review of roughly 12,000 potential child sexual exploitation reports since 2010 has since flagged more than 4,000 cases that may require reopening. Many had been closed without further action. These have been referred to the National Crime Agency under Operation Beaconport. London's current review notes a broader mix of offender backgrounds than the classic Pakistani-heritage networks documented in Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and elsewhere. That distinction does not erase the scale of what was ignored or the political class that spent years insisting the problem did not exist in the capital. This London revelation drops just days after the release of Rupert Lowe's Rape Gang Inquiry Report, which documented a coordinated national campaign of rape, torture and abuse against up to 250,000 British girls by predominantly Muslim grooming gangs operating across 149 local authority districts. Lowe's findings laid bare the same pattern of police warnings to rapists, political interference and deliberate suppression of evidence that protected predators for decades while treating working-class girls as disposable. Britain does not lack the power to change this. Parliament can amend citizenship and immigration rules to close loopholes for serious offenders. It can assert sovereignty over international obligations that shield threats. Other countries manage deportation of convicted criminals without descending into chaos. The question is whether the political class has the will to put the safety of British girls ahead of globalist pieties and domestic sensitivities. Ahmed walking free under licence is not justice. It is the predictable result of a system that has spent years protecting itself from hard truths rather than protecting its children. British girls deserve a country that removes foreign criminals who rape its children and never looks back. Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews. Tyler Durden Wed, 07/01/2026 - 09:05