Image source, GMPImage caption, Shabir Ahmed led a grooming gang that abused girls as young as 12ByJack Fenwick, Political correspondent and Anna LamchePublished8 July 2026 The home secretary will change the law so the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang can be deported, the BBC has been told. As first reported by the Telegraph, Shabana Mahmood is expected to set out on Monday how she plans to amend the 1971 Immigration Act which currently stops Shabir Ahmed being removed from the UK. Ahmed, 73, was jailed for 22 years in August 2012 for a number of child sexual offences including rape. He was released on licence last week. Known to his victims as "Daddy", Ahmed had dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of the former following his 2012 conviction. It is not known how long it would take to change the law but one government source suggested it could potentially be up to a year.
Published: July 8, 2026 5:06 pm
Source: BBC — Read original