Overview
- Shabir Ahmed, convicted in 2012 as a ringleader in the Rochdale grooming gang, is due to be released on licence on Thursday 2 July 2026 after about 14 years in custody.
- Probation and Home Office correspondence seen by the media say Ahmed cannot currently be deported to Pakistan because an Immigration Act 1971 exemption protects some Commonwealth nationals who arrived before 1973.
- Officials also say Ahmed renounced Pakistani citizenship during legal challenges and the Home Office believes it has exhausted removal routes, so he will remain in the UK under supervision.
- On release he will face lifetime sex‑offender registration, an exclusion zone centred on Rochdale, electronic monitoring, curfews and initially 24‑hour supervised accommodation.
- Victims say they are terrified and local politicians including Andy Burnham want all options explored to remove him or change the law, and the case has renewed scrutiny of past police and council failures and possible legislative reform.