Residents in Rochdale, northwest England, have begun patrolling the town’s streets after the ringleader of one of Britain’s most notorious grooming gangs was released from prison.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, walked free on July 2 after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence. He was convicted in 2012 of 30 child rape offences committed against girls as young as 12, who were plied with drink and drugs before being abused by him and eight associates.
Though stripped of his British citizenship after the conviction, Ahmed cannot be deported. A provision in the Immigration Act 1971 protects Commonwealth citizens who were resident in Britain before 1973, and Pakistan has refused to take him back.
Local campaigner Billy Howarth, of the group Parents Against Grooming UK, gathered a group of local men to form a rapid-response patrol, with police on standby. He said several of Ahmed’s victims were too frightened to leave their homes.
“He wasn’t just a child rapist – he is the devil incarnate,” Howarth said, demanding that Ahmed be kept in jail or removed from the country.
Ahmed has been placed in staffed accommodation and fitted with a GPS tag, at a reported cost to taxpayers of £120 (€140) a night. He is barred from Rochdale and neighbouring Oldham, banned from contacting any child and placed on the sex offenders register for life.
One victim, identified only as Ruby, said she feared for her family. “I’m scared for my safety and my kids’ safety,” she said.
The release has renewed calls to change the law. Paul Waugh, Labour MP for Rochdale, said Ahmed should have been deported years ago and criticised Pakistan for refusing to accept him.
Andy Burnham, the frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, urged ministers to review every option to remove Ahmed, saying nothing was off the table.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to amend the Immigration and Asylum Bill to close the loophole, while shadow home secretary Chris Philp said he would table a separate amendment.
Downing Street said it could not deport a man protected by the 1971 act, though it insisted Ahmed would face stringent conditions and immediate recall to prison if he breached them.
Howarth said the patrols would continue until residents felt safe.
