Andy Burnham says ‘nothing off table’ in case of Rochdale grooming gang leader | Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham will explore “all possible options” to close the loophole that prevented the “despicable” Rochdale grooming ring leader from being deported if he becomes prime minister.
In his first significant intervention as interim leader of the Labor Party, 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 he would be deported in 2012 after he was jailed on 30 charges of child rape of 13-year-old girls. But this week the government acknowledged that provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 meant that he could not be deported to his native Pakistan, even though he had been stripped of his British citizenship.
Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister on July 20, said on Wednesday: “Like everyone else, I want this despicable criminal out of the country. The victims must come first. I will ask the home and foreign ministers to consider all possible options and they must consider that nothing is off the table.”
Ahmed, known as “Dad”, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being convicted in 2012 for playing a key role in the Rochdale grooming ring, which is said to have involved nearly 50 victims.
He will be released from prison on July 2 and will be banned from entering Rochdale. He will be released on licence, meaning he will be recalled to prison if he violates restrictions.
A letter believed to have been sent to the victims from probation this week said the government could not deport Ahmed under the 1971 Immigration Act. This was because he had arrived in the UK before 1973 and had lived in the UK for at least five years before the deportation order was made.
The father of a woman who was the key witness in the case against Ahmed has called for Burnham to lift the “statute of limitations” so she can be removed from office. “My daughter’s life has been turned upside down, it continues to be turned upside down, and the reason is Şabir Ahmed,” he said.
“This man is a racist pedophile, a terrible man who shows no remorse. He poses a danger to all girls and women, regardless of their race. If a person was not born here but commits a serious crime such as rape or murder, then we must find a way to eliminate them.”
During court hearings the man, whose eldest daughter was known as Girl A, said there was a possibility of meeting his daughter on the street if Ahmed was allowed to stay in the UK. He added: “It is not racist to call for his removal.”
Girl A was groomed and abused by at least 50 men in Rochdale from the age of 12. His family discovered the abuse after he destroyed a restaurant when he was 14 years old. While being questioned by police, she told detectives how she and other girls were lured with drugs and drink, repeatedly raped and trafficked in nearby towns and cities.
Alex Davies-Jones, who resigned as the government’s victims’ minister in May, told the Guardian it was “appalling” that Ahmed was allowed back into society. He said: “If we really want to put victims back at the center of the criminal justice system, we need to listen to them and take action here.”
Victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman said: “The victims in this case were told the offender would be deported and this information was incorrect. This has understandably increased expectations and now caused further distress and trauma.”
He said the case highlighted a much wider problem and that victims were often given “inconsistent or inaccurate information about offenders”, which undermines trust in the justice system, creates unnecessary distress and can increase victims’ fear and trauma.
Jess Phillips, who was the minister responsible for protection and violence against women and girls until her recent resignation, said: “There is no easy solution, but it is right that new legislative options are considered where people have citizenship elsewhere.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “Our thoughts are, first and foremost, with the victims of these horrific crimes. Ahmed’s horrific crimes were at the heart of the grooming gang scandal, which represented 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 forced to face the full force of the law.”
“Once released he will be on the sex offenders register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contact with any children or young people. As well as facing strict curfews and restriction zones, his every movement will be tracked and he will be forced to wear an electronic tag. If he breaches his conditions he will be immediately jailed.”
Rochdale council leader Neil Emmott said he was “very concerned” about how the “deeply disturbing” news of Ahmed’s release would affect survivors still living in the Greater Manchester town.
“I hope the news that our district will not be entered is true and we will never see him on our streets again. If he is seen in our district, I will demand that he be sent to prison immediately. In my opinion, they should have locked him up and thrown away his key.”
A Home Office spokesman said the department was “committed to doing everything possible to deport foreign national criminals and it is clear they should have no place in this country”.
They said: “As previous governments have identified, this necessarily requires agreement from the recipient country, which has not always been possible. However, we are now working with colleagues across government to explore all possible options in this situation.”
