Britain to close loophole blocking deportation of grooming gang ringleader

LONDON, July 13 - The British government said on Monday it would close a legal loophole in its efforts to deport to Pakistan a man who served 14 years in prison for being a leading perpetrator of what is known as the "grooming gangs" scandal.

Shabir Ahmed was a gang leader in Rochdale, northern England, and was jailed in 2012 for multiple counts of child sexual offences including rape. His release earlier this month was criticised by some lawmakers and one of the gang's victims said she feared for her safety.

The scandal, which dates back 20 years, was forced to the top of the UK political agenda last year after Elon Musk criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for how he handled the cases when he was director of public prosecutions. Starmer rejected the criticism without naming Musk directly.

Following his conviction, Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship, but could not be removed to Pakistan, where he was born, due to a legal loophole which prevents the deportation of citizens of some countries who arrived in the UK before 1973.

Referring to Ahmed as a "vile grooming gang leader", interior minister Shabana Mahmood said the government's amendment would now let those Commonwealth citizens be deported if they have committed serious crimes.

She said Ahmed's removal was dependent on Pakistan agreeing to take him.

Britain's grooming gangs scandal involved groups of men, primarily of Pakistani heritage, targeting children who were often known to social services as being vulnerable, giving them alcohol and drugs and forcing them to have sex.

The 2012 trial over the Rochdale gang which led to the conviction of Ahmed and eight others generated huge publicity, bringing the issue to light in Britain. REUTERS