Whistleblower ‘terrified’ as Rochdale grooming gang leader released
Sara Rowbotham, the former health worker whose team gathered evidence that led to the imprisonment of Shabir Ahmed and eight other men in Rochdale, has expressed terror at his release. Rowbotham said she is terrified by the prospect of meeting him in the street and is genuinely concerned that she will see him walk out of a local bail hostel near her house. "If I feel like that, think how the women he abused must feel," she said.
Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as Daddy, was released this week after serving 14 years in prison. He was convicted in 2012 for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls as young as 13, leading a nine-strong group that exploited vulnerable young people. Though stripped of his British citizenship, he cannot be deported because of a 1971 law forbidding the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.
Rowbotham, who was played by Maxine Peake in the award-winning BBC drama, expressed serious concerns about his monitoring following release. She stated that Ahmed "organised some very nasty abuse of young girls" and "was able to coerce manipulate and organise a highly manipulative group of men." She noted that "there have been no indications that his views have changed" and warned of insufficient oversight. "The de-investment in probation services means that any monitoring of him and his behaviour is likely to be really weak," she said.
Ahmed is subject to stringent licence conditions, including residence at a 24-hour staffed bail hostel and electronic GPS tagging. He faces an exclusion zone and is banned from his last known address.
Sir Keir Starmer has asked Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to review the case. Labour MP Andy Burnham, likely to become the next Prime Minister, has vowed to close the legal loophole. "Like everyone I want this vile criminal out of the country," he said. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch indicated her party would attempt to amend the Immigration and Asylum Bill. However, UK talks with Pakistan suggest the country is unlikely to accept Ahmed's deportation.