Home Secretary to Outline Legal Steps to Deport Released Rochdale Offender

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out on Monday the legal steps to deport Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang released from prison earlier this month. Ahmed was jailed for 22 years in 2012 after conviction on multiple counts of child sexual offences including rape.

He was one of nine men from Rochdale and Oldham found guilty of exploiting girls as young as 13 at two takeaway restaurants.

Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship after the conviction and holds only Pakistani nationality. A 1971 law bars removal of certain Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and lived there for five years, leaving him exempt from deportation despite the citizenship loss. After release he was placed in 24-hour staffed accommodation and fitted with a GPS tag.

The government has said Ahmed would return to prison for any breach of strict licence conditions while in the UK. Some victims described themselves as frightened and unsafe following the release. Mahmood is expected to address how the 1971 law can be changed to allow removal.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp proposed sanctions on Pakistan if it refuses to accept Ahmed, including restrictions on visas for Pakistani nationals. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that emergency legislation could achieve a law change in weeks.

Victims Minister Catherine Atkinson said the government has not ruled out emergency legislation and cited prior cases where visa penalties secured cooperation from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A spokesperson for Sir Keir said Thursday that every available option is being explored, including talks with Pakistani authorities. It remains unclear how long any legislative change would take or whether Pakistan will accept Ahmed, who claims to have renounced his Pakistani citizenship.