Rochdale grooming gang: Town 'will not heal until men deported'

Abdul Aziz, who was known as "the Master" by the gang, was jailed for nine years

Rochdale cannot start to heal until members of a grooming gang have been deported, the region's mayor has said.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged the government to "get the right outcome" after a ringleader of the gang avoided deportation.

Abdul Aziz, 51, was among nine gang members jailed in 2012 for a catalogue of child sex offences in the town.

The Home Office said it was "determined to take whatever action" was available "to protect victims of crime".

Aziz, known as "the master" by the gang, was originally fighting deportation alongside Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Rauf, 52, who were also jailed in 2012.

An immigration tribunal heard on Monday how all three were liable to be deprived of their UK citizenship and deported as they also held Pakistani nationality.

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But the men have fought a long legal battle against deportation, mounting multiple legal challenges and appeals over several years.

During the tribunal hearing in London, it emerged that Aziz had been told he would not be stripped of his UK citizenship and deported.

Aziz had renounced his Pakistani citizenship in July 2018, just days before the Court of Appeal ruled he could be deprived of his UK citizenship.

Rauf and Khan only renounced their Pakistani citizenship in September of the same year after the Court of Appeal ruling.

A decision on the deportation of Khan and Rauf is expected later this year.

Adil Khan (left) and Qari Rauf (right) were jailed in 2012 for a catalogue of serious child sex offences

In a statement issued jointly with deputy mayor Bev Hughes, the mayor of Greater Manchester said he was "horrified" that the men had "used a legal loophole by renouncing their Pakistani nationality to avoid being deported".

"Victims have been forgotten in all this and we are appalled that the Home Secretary [Priti Patel], who has had years to do right by them, has so far failed to deport," Mr Burnham said.

"All her tough talk on deportations rings hollow when it comes to the perpetrators of child abuse.

He called on the Home Secretary "to do everything within her and the government's power to get the right outcome for the victims".

"Justice will finally be seen to be fully served only once these deportations are complete and only then will the community be able to begin to heal," he said.

The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases but added: "What happened in places such as Rochdale remains one of the biggest stains on our country's conscience.

"That is why we are determined to take whatever action is available to us within the law to protect the vulnerable and the victims of terrible crimes, such as those committed in Rochdale."

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