The leader of the grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, who was found guilty of 30 child rape charges and given a 41-year sentence, will not be deported and will be released next month.
Shabir Ahmed, one of the men found guilty in the Rochdale child sexual exploitation scandal, is anticipated to be freed from jail in July 2026 under stringent licence requirements.
Following his release, he will be subject to a non-contact restriction, an exclusion zone that includes Rochdale Borough, and supervised housing.
After being found guilty of several rape and child sexual abuse charges, Ahmed was sentenced to 41 years in prison in 2012.
Prosecutors characterised him as a prominent member of the group of males found guilty of sexually abusing girls in Rochdale and the surrounding region.
Ahmed was sentenced to an additional 22 years in jail for 30 counts of child rape.
An earlier 19-year prison sentence imposed following crimes connected to the broader Rochdale grooming gang investigation ran simultaneously with that sentence.
Ahmed is scheduled to be released on July 2, 2026.
His licence will be in effect until June 10, 2034.
The Immigration Act of 1971’s legal protections apply in his instance, and the Home Office states that he cannot be deported.
He is a Pakistani national who entered the UK before 1973 and has resided there for the required period.
In Pakistan, his sentence would have been life in prison without parole or the death sentence.
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