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Andy Burnham will explore “all possible options”, if he becomes prime minister, to close a legal loophole that prevented the deportation of a “vile” Rochdale grooming gang leader.
In his first significant intervention as Labour leader-in-waiting, Burnham said nothing would be “off the table” in the case of Shabir Ahmed, 73, who is expected to be released from prison on Thursday.
Ahmed’s victims were told in 2012 he would be deported after being jailed for 30 child rape charges involving girls as young as 13. However, this week the government admitted that the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 meant he could not be deported to Pakistan, where he was born, even though he has been stripped of British citizenship.
Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister on 20 July, said on Wednesday: “Like everyone, I want this vile criminal out of the country. Victims must come first. I will ask the home and foreign secretaries to review all possible options – and they should consider nothing is off the table.”
Ahmed, who was known as “Daddy”, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted in 2012 for playing a key role in the Rochdale grooming gang, which was said to have had as many as 50 victims.
He is due to be freed from prison on 2 July and will be banned from Rochdale. He will be released on licence, meaning he would be recalled to prison if he breaches restrictions.
A letter believed to be from the probation service to victims this week said the government was unable to deport Ahmed under the terms of the Immigration Act 1971. This is because he arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived in the UK for at least five years before his deportation was considered.
Alex Davies-Jones, who resigned as the government’s victims’ minister in May, told the Guardian it was “horrific” that Ahmed would be allowed back into the community. She said: “If we truly are to put victims back at the heart of the criminal justice system then we have got to listen to them and act here.”
Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner, said: “Victims in this case were told the offender would be deported, and that information was incorrect. It has understandably raised expectations and has now caused further upset and trauma.”
She said the case highlighted a much wider problem and that too often victims were given “inconsistent or inaccurate information about offenders”, which undermined confidence in the justice system, created unnecessary distress and could compound victims’ fear and trauma.
Jess Phillips, who until her recent resignation was the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said: “We need to look at what legislation would make it possible for special powers could be given in cases such as this. There is no easy solution but it’s right that new legislative options are considered in cases where people have nationality elsewhere.”
One of Ahmed’s victims, referred to as Ruby, told BBC Newsnight that his release made her “scared for my safety and my children’s safety”.
She said: “The main ringleader, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton, is being released from prison. Even if he is not in those areas, he still knows people and could contact them, which makes me feel unsafe.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of these appalling crimes. Ahmed’s horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gangs scandal that represents one of the darkest moments in our country’s history. The most vulnerable people were abused and exploited at the hands of evil child rapists and must face the full force of the law.
“On his release he will be on the sex offender register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person. As well as facing strict curfews and restriction zones, his every movement will be tracked, forced to wear an electronic tag. Should he breach his conditions, he will be immediately locked up.”
Neil Emmott, the leader of Rochdale council, said he was “very concerned” about how this “deeply troubling” news of Ahmed’s release would affect the survivors still living in the Greater Manchester town.
He said: “I hope that the reports that he will not be allowed into our borough are accurate and that we never see him on our streets again. If he is seen in our borough, I will demand that he is sent back to prison immediately. As far as I’m concerned, they should have locked him up and thrown away the key.”
