By Riffat Kausar
Snn News Finland
Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale child sexual exploitation gang, has been released from prison after serving less than half of his original sentence, prompting renewed calls to reform UK deportation law.
Who Is Shabir Ahmed
Shabir Ahmed, now 73, was convicted of 30 child rape offences as the head of a grooming gang operating in the Heywood area of Rochdale.
He was known as “Daddy” to his victims and was jailed for 22 years in August 2012.
He was one of nine men from Rochdale and Oldham convicted of exploiting girls, some as young as 12, through two takeaway restaurants used as meeting points for the abuse.
Release Despite Loophole in Deportation Law
Shabir Ahmed was released on Thursday after serving under 14 years of his sentence.
Although he had his British citizenship stripped following his convictions, he cannot be deported to Pakistan due to a loophole in the Immigration Act 1971, according to officials cited in local reporting.
Community and Political Reaction
Following his release, a group calling itself “Rochdale lads” organized by local campaigner Billy Howarth of Parents Against Grooming UK began patrolling the town’s streets, with police on standby.
Howarth said some of Ahmed’s victims were too frightened to leave their homes after learning of his release.
The case has drawn cross-party political criticism. Jim McMahon, Labour MP for Oldham, and Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, have both called for changes to the Immigration Act 1971 to allow the deportation of foreign-born child abusers.
Waugh acknowledged the law “was written for a different era and a different purpose” and said victims of grooming gangs deserved government action, not just sympathy.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp went further, saying Ahmed “should be urgently deported back to his country of original nationality and birth, which is Pakistan,” and called on the government to act immediately.
What Happens Next
Ahmed’s release was carried out under strict licence conditions, though specific terms have not been publicly detailed. No formal government response to the renewed deportation-law criticism had been issued at the time of publication.
nine men from Rochdale and Oldham
About The Author
