Grooming gang ringleader deemed unsafe to release into community, parole documents reveal. From the Telegraph
The Pakistani ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang was judged “unsafe” to release into the community just 20 months before he was freed from prison.
Shabir Ahmed – who was jailed for 22 years for 30 child rape offences – was rejected for parole in October 2024 because of his risk of reoffending and refusal to engage with rehabilitation programmes, according to documents seen by The Telegraph.
It was the third time Ahmed, 73, had been turned down for release by the Parole Board after refusing to accept his guilt and exhibiting “risk factors”, including a belief that it was “acceptable to sexually abuse children”. He had also attempted to seriously injure another prisoner.
The revelation that Ahmed was considered unsafe intensified demands for Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, to change the immigration laws immediately so that he could be deported to Pakistan.
Amber, one of Ahmed’s victims, whom he raped and sexually abused, said: “I feel like, for the safety of victims like me and our families, the safest thing is for him to be deported. I don’t want him walking around Greater Manchester. I don’t want him anywhere in England. He should be deported immediately. If he’s not going to be deported, he should be in prison for life.”
Ahmed was given an “extended determinate sentence” in 2012, which meant he could seek parole every two years after serving half of his 22-year term, before his automatic release date took effect at the two-thirds point.
In a report on his third parole application in October 2024, the board said it was “not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public”, even with “robust” restrictions on his contacts, movements and activities.
The board identified “risk factors” at the time of his offending, including “him finding children sexually attractive, thinking it was acceptable to sexually abuse children, lacking victim empathy, making poor decisions, and struggling to manage extreme emotions”.
The parole board report reveals that, despite the multiple offences, he “maintained his innocence”, had failed to “address his offending behaviour” and had “declined to engage” with rehabilitation programmes.
He had also received an extra 12-month prison sentence while in jail for “attempting to cause serious injury against a fellow prisoner”.
