Andy Burnham Asks Ministers to Review All Options for Deporting Rochdale Gang Ringleader

Andy Burnham said he will ask the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options to deport Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang convicted in 2012. Ahmed is due to be released from prison this week. He received a 19-year sentence at Liverpool Crown Court after being convicted of multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls.

Police said as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang. Burnham wrote on X that he wants Ahmed removed from the country. "Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first," he stated.

Ahmed held dual British-Pakistani citizenship and was stripped of his British citizenship after the conviction. Documents reportedly from the Probation Service state that he cannot be deported to Pakistan under provisions of the Immigration Act 1971, because he arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived here for at least five years before deportation was considered.

Justice Minister Jake Richards told the BBC that long-standing issues exist with deporting foreign national offenders to Pakistan.

"We need to try and work on that and see whether it's possible, but in this case, it seems unlikely," Richards said. He added that changing the law retrospectively would be very difficult. Richards said he is examining measures to protect Ahmed's victims and keep the community safe after release.

The Home Office stated that Ahmed will be subject to stringent licence conditions, including 24/7 supervised accommodation and an exclusion zone centred on Rochdale. One victim, identified as Ruby, said she fears for her safety and her children's safety because Ahmed is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton.