Update(s)

  • July 16th, 2026, 10:58 AM UTC The notorious leader of a Rochdale grooming gang has been removed from a hostel in Accrington, where he was housed after his recent release from prison. Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn, said that she was “disgusted” that he had been placed in the borough, and said she has joined other MP colleagues who have been calling for a much wider exclusion zone so that he is not placed in Lancashire or the North West.
  • July 16th, 2026, 10:51 AM UTC Reports indicate Pakistan has sought the extradition of political dissidents living in the UK as leverage.

The Offences: In 2012, Ahmed was convicted of 30 counts of child rape and multiple sexual offences. He led a network that systematically groomed, drugged, and abused girls as young as 12 in Rochdale and Oldham. He was referred to by his victims as "Daddy".

Prison Sentence: He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Recent Release: He served 14 years (two-thirds of his sentence) and was automatically released on licence.

Current Status: He is living under strict 24-hour supervised bail accommodation, fitted with a GPS tracking tag, placed on the sex offenders register for life, and subject to geographic exclusion zones. He was recently relocated by the Ministry of Justice after his address was leaked on social media.

The Deportation Row and Legal Loophole

Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction, leaving him solely a Pakistani national. While it was expected he would be deported upon release, a legal and diplomatic deadlock has prevented his removal:

  • The 1971 Legal Loophole: Section 7 of the UK's Immigration Act 1971 explicitly protects Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK before 1973 and resided there for five years before deportation was considered. Because Ahmed arrived in the late 1960s, this law legally bars the Home Office from deporting him.
  • Proposed Law Change: Following intense public outcry and calls from MPs, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced an amendment to the Immigration and Asylum Bill. This amendment gives the Home Secretary specific powers to waive the 1971 Act protections for foreign national criminals guilty of serious offences.
  • Diplomatic Resistance from Pakistan: Amending UK law does not guarantee deportation, as Pakistan must agree to accept him. The Pakistani government is actively resisting the deportation. Pakistani officials state that Ahmed has spent over 60 years in Britain, has "no connection" to Pakistan, and claims he renounced his Pakistani citizenship decades ago.

Revealed: Freed Rochdale grooming gang leader was refused parole just four years ago as it was not 'safe' to release him. A summary of Ahmed's 2022 parole rejection reveals that his probation officer 'advised that release to the community at this stage could not be safe as Mr Ahmed had not sufficiently reduced his risks'.