2 hours ago 
Image source, GMP
Shabir Ahmed was the caput of a pack which abused girls arsenic young arsenic 12
ByJonny Humphries
North West
A authorities curate has said officials are "looking astatine each route" to person the person of a Rochdale grooming pack deported.
Shabir Ahmed was jailed for 22 years successful August 2012, but his victims were this week told helium was acceptable to beryllium released from situation connected licence today.
They were besides informed, contempt earlier promises, that a 55-year-old instrumentality barred the authorities from deporting him.
But contiguous Labour Minister for Skills Baroness Jacqui Smith said the authorities was "doing everything we tin to get this feline retired of the country".
Ahmed, present 73, held dual British and Pakistani citizenship astatine the clip helium was convicted.
He was stripped of his British citizenship successful tribunal and it was expected that helium would beryllium sent backmost to Pakistan aft serving his sentence.
But his victims person been told that, nether the Immigration Act 1971, immoderate Commonwealth national who arrived successful the UK earlier 1973 and had been present for astatine slightest 5 years cannot beryllium deported.
Jim McMahon told the BBC helium wanted the instrumentality to change
Labour MP Jim McMahon, who represents a constituency successful Oldham wherever immoderate of the maltreatment occurred, earlier told the BBC that the 1971 enactment was intended to support Commonwealth citizens who had travel to the UK for a amended beingness and who contributed to the country.
"It was not designed to springiness a escaped walk to a kid rapist," helium said.
"I deliberation we request to anchor it successful what the instrumentality was intended to bash and not the mode it has been abused today."
McMahon said the authorities wanted to "close the loophole" successful the 1971 act, but said ineligible proposal was needed to accidental whether immoderate alteration could use retrospectively and truthful let Ahmed to beryllium deported.
On Wednesday Andy Burnham, who is expected to go Labour person and truthful premier curate aboriginal this month, confirmed helium wanted Ahmed to beryllium removed from the country.
Posting connected X, helium wrote: "Like everyone, I privation this vile transgression retired of the country. Victims indispensable travel first.
"I volition inquire the location and overseas secretaries to reappraisal each imaginable options - and they should see thing is disconnected the table."
The rapist, who was known arsenic 'Daddy' by his victims, was the ringleader of a radical of 9 men who systematically groomed and sexually abused teenage girls.
The men gained the spot of their victims offering takeaway nutrient and cigarettes, and aboriginal plied them with intoxicant earlier repeatedly raping them.
A assemblage heard Ahmed had treated 1 unfortunate arsenic a "possession" - and that the miss had been abused connected "an astir play basis".
One survivor, identified arsenic 'Ruby' to support her ineligible close to anonymity, told BBC Newsnight that she was: "Scared for my information and my kids' safety."
"The main ringleader is getting retired of prison, who is good known successful Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, truthful adjacent if he's not successful that area, helium inactive knows radical and has a accidental to speech to radical from that country and that makes maine unsafe."
Image source, PA Media
Maggie Oliver worked arsenic a detective connected grooming cases and aboriginal raised concerns astir constabulary handling of the issue
Police detective turned whistleblower and campaigner Maggie Oliver, who has helped enactment Ruby, told the BBC the now-adult pistillate had bumped into 1 of the different members of the pack successful an Asda supermarket successful 2016, erstwhile she believed helium was inactive successful prison.
"She lives with the fearfulness that that mightiness hap again, but she's speaking connected behalf of each victims and survivors who consciousness that they are ever an afterthought," Oliver said.
She said Ruby was peculiarly distressed by Ahmed's merchandise due to the fact that the antheral she saw successful the shops - Adil Khan - has since fled the state contempt being nether strict licence conditions.
Oliver said: "She present is surviving with the fearfulness that Shabir Ahmed, who is besides nether scrutiny, mightiness flight from wherever helium has been scrutinized and crook up connected her doorstep oregon person immoderate of his associates travel aft her arsenic well.
"This is simply a fearfulness that victims unrecorded with each time and they don't consciousness that the authorities are taking their concerns seriously."
The Home Office has confirmed Ahmed volition beryllium taxable to strict licence conditions upon his release, including an physics tag to show his movements, and would beryllium returned to situation if helium breached them.
He is besides taxable to an exclusion portion which includes Rochdale and Oldham.
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