The ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang is set to be released from jail this week and cannot be deported, his victims have been told.
Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as “Daddy”, had dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of the former following his conviction in 2012 for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls.
Documents shared online, reportedly from the Probation Service to one of his victims, state that he will be released on Thursday.
The Home Office said Ahmed’s crimes were “appalling” and that he would be subject to stringent licence conditions upon his release from prison.
Ahmed must initially live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and will be subject to an “exclusion zone” centred on Rochdale.
The papers published online said Ahmed cannot be deported back to Pakistan due to provisions under the Immigration Act 1971.
The act says because Ahmed arrived in the UK before 1973 and lived in the country for at least five years before his deportation was considered, his removal is barred.
Following the news, one of the Rochdale gang’s victims told how she has been left feeling “scared for my safety”.
The girl, who was sexually abused from the age of 12, told BBC Newsnight Ahmed was well-known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton.
“Even if he is not in those areas, he still knows people and could contact them, which makes me feel unsafe,” she said.
“At the end of the trial, we were told they would all be deported once released, but not one of them has been deported.
“There are always false promises.”
