Law preventing Rochdale grooming gang ringleader from being deported – and why it might change

► The ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang is to be released from jail tomorrow – and can’t be deported because of immigration laws. Shabir Ahmed, 73, had dual British Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of the former after being convicted in 2012 for multiple rape and sexual offences against girls in what became a national scandal. Probation Service documents shared online, suggest Ahmed will be freed on Thursday. He will be subject to licence conditions, including that he, initially, must live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and be subject to an “exclusion zone” centred on Rochdale. The papers, said to have been released by one of his victims, says Ahmed can’t be deported back to Pakistan due to provisions under the Immigration Act 1971. Because Ahmed arrived in the UK before 1973 and lived in the country for at least five years before his deportation was considered, he can’t be removed. One of his victims has said the news has left her feeling “scared for my safety”. Andy Burnham, who is expected to replace Keir Starmer as PM, has said he will ask the home and foreign secretaries to “review all possible options” to deport the ringleader. “Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first,” he wrote on X. For two years, from early 2008, girls as young as 12, were given drugs and alcohol, and gang-raped. Ahmed, who took his case to the European Court of Human Rights claiming he didn’t get a fair trial, was described in court as a "violent, hypocritical bully". In 2012, Ahmed was jailed for 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court. He was one of nine men in the Rochdale grooming gang trial convicted of offences against five girls. Police said as many as 50 girls could have been victims. ► Have you subscribed to 5 News?: http://bit.ly/5NewsSub ► Follow 5 News on Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news - https://twitter.com/5_News Message us on Facebook to share your opinion - https://www.facebook.com/c5News See our latest pictures and videos on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/c5news/ ► About 5 News: We bring you the stories that matter to you, from around the world and across the UK. 🎥 We post daily playlists with the biggest news of the day, interviews, special reports and investigations. 📺 Catch us on TV on Channel 5 every weekday 5-6pm 📱 Get in touch with us on WhatsApp at +44 7555 500 501 🎧 Listen to "How Did We Get Here? Explaining The News" wherever you get your podcasts: https://podfollow.com/how-did-we-get-here-explaining-the-news Our flagship, hour-long programme at 5pm is watched on Channel 5 by up to a million viewers, with regular news updates throughout the day. ITN changed the TV news landscape when it launched 5 News in 1997, producing Five News for nine years before winning the contract to supply news to Channel 5 again from 2012.