Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to announce on Monday the legal measures her department will pursue to deport Shabir Ahmed, the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang.
Ahmed was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2012 for multiple child sexual offenses, including rape. He was released earlier this month on license. Following his conviction, Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship, leaving him with only Pakistani nationality. This action has prompted calls from across the political spectrum for his deportation.
However, a 1971 law prevents the deportation of a specific group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK over 50 years ago. It is unclear how Mahmood plans to address this legal impediment. Additionally, Pakistan has reportedly shown no intention of accepting Ahmed, who himself claims to have renounced his Pakistani citizenship.
Ahmed was one of nine men convicted for exploiting underage girls at two takeaway restaurants in the Rochdale and Oldham areas. After his release from prison, he was placed in 24-hour staffed accommodation and fitted with an electronic tag monitored by GPS. The government has stated that he will be returned to prison if he breaches any of the strict conditions of his license.
Some of Ahmed's victims have expressed fear and a sense of insecurity following his release. At the time of his release, victims were informed that deportation to Pakistan was not possible due to the 55-year-old Immigration Act, which prohibits the removal of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and had resided there for at least five years, regardless of their citizenship status.
The government is reportedly exploring options, including the possibility of emergency legislation or an amendment to the current immigration bill moving through parliament, as changing the 1971 Act is considered a lengthy process. One government source indicated that such a change could take up to a year. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer stated that "every available option" is being explored, including discussions with Pakistani authorities.
Mahmood's expected announcement follows a recent appeal from grooming gang survivors for sex offenders to be excluded from early release programs.