Two members of the Rochdale grooming gang convicted of paedophilia offences are still waiting to be deported back to Pakistan – because their home country is refusing to take them back.
Qari Abdul Rauf, 54 and Adil Khan, 53, were part of a group of Asian men who plied girls as young as 12 with alcohol and drugs before ferrying them around the north of England in taxis to be raped by other predators.
Both have since been released, as have at least five others, one of whom was set to be returned to his home country upon release. The ringleader is still believed to be behind bars while another was due to conclude his sentence later this year.
A new hard-hitting report released yesterday concluded that at least 96 men who pose a potential risk to children continue to roam the Greater Manchester area, but admits they are likely ‘only a proportion of the individuals’ committing sex abuse.
Following on from a 2013 report that examined how abuse was allowed to continue for so long before any convictions were secured, the damning 173-page paper slammed police and council bosses for failing to act on early reports of grooming.
A number of convictions have followed those of the ‘original’ Rochdale gang – the nine monsters who were sentenced in 2012 have been profiled below.
A report published yesterday concluded that children were still at risk from at least 96 paedophiles roaming the streets of Rochdale
![BBC drama Three Girls (stars Liv Hill, Molly Windsor and Ria Zmitrowicz, above) dramatised the failure of police and social services to act on reports of child sex abuse in Rochdale](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80078745-12968329-BBC_drama_Three_Girls_stars_Liv_Hill_Molly_Windsor_and_Ria_Zmitr-a-3_1705416267043.jpg)
BBC drama Three Girls (stars Liv Hill, Molly Windsor and Ria Zmitrowicz, above) dramatised the failure of police and social services to act on reports of child sex abuse in Rochdale
![Qari Abdul Rauf](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80076693-12968329-Qari_Abdul_Rauf-a-4_1705416267044.jpg)
![Adil Khan](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80076695-12968329-Adil_Khan-a-5_1705416267045.jpg)
Qari Abdul Rauf (left) and Adil Khan (right) are both still awaiting deportation despite losing a legal battle to remain in the UK
![Abdul Aziz](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082339-12968329-Abdul_Aziz-a-6_1705416267045.jpg)
![Mohammed Amin](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082353-12968329-Mohammed_Amin-a-7_1705416267046.jpg)
Abdul Aziz (left) has been able to remain in the UK; Mohammed Amin has served his sentence
Qari Rauf and Adil Khan
Taxi driver and Muslim preacher Abdul Rauf, of Rochdale, was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. He was jailed for six years in 2012, ultimately serving two years and six months behind bars.
Adil Khan, also of Rochdale, was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child and was jailed for eight years, serving four in prison and four on licence.
Both appealed against the plan to deport him to Pakistan, and renounced his Pakistani citizenship — but not before the Home Office stripped them of their British citizenship and with it the right to remain in the country.
Alongside Adil Khan, Rauf sought to claim in 2022 that his forced removal would be ncompatible with his human rights, but that appeal failed.
In August 2023, immigration judges refused another further appeal from Rauf’s lawyers – whose identities have been protected by way of a court order.
But a report in The Sun suggests the pair’s removals have been delayed because Pakistan, is reportedly refusing to allow them to return.
Rauf and Khan claimed during their deportation appeals to have renounced their Pakistani citizenships, rendering them both ‘stateless’.
A previous hearing concluded that it would be ‘relatively easy’ for the pair to reclaim their Pakistani identities but that they were ‘unwilling’ to do so.
Abdul Aziz
Aziz, of Rochdale, was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
He was paid for ferrying children across the north of England and ultimately jailed for nine years.
Known as ‘the Master’ by his fellow abusers, Aziz was reportedly stripped of his UK citizenship by a court in 2018 – but it has since emerged that he renounced his Pakistani citizenship five days before the hearing, and before Rauf and Khan.
Mohammed Amin
Amin, of Rochdale, was found guilty of sex assaults and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
The taxi driver was jailed for five years after he was found guilty during the 2012 trial, and has now served his sentence across both prison and release on licence.
![Mohammed Sajid](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082479-12968329-Mohammed_Sajid-a-8_1705416267047.jpg)
![Kabeer Hassan](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082483-12968329-Kabeer_Hassan-a-9_1705416267047.jpg)
Mohammed Sajid (left) and Kabeer Hassan (right). Sajid’s sentence concludes this year, after which he will be deported to Pakistan; Hassan is believed to be free
![Hamid Safi](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082557-12968329-Hamid_Safi-a-10_1705416267048.jpg)
![Abdul Qayyum](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082545-12968329-Abdul_Qayyum-a-11_1705416267048.jpg)
Hamid Safi (left) is believed to have been deported to Afghanistan after serving his sentence; Abdul Qayyum (right) is now free
Mohammed Sajid
Sajid, a cash-and-carry worker from Rochdale, was found guilty of rape, trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child, having come to the UK from Pakistan.
He was jailed for 12 years in 2012 and would be due free if he served the full sentence behind bars; he will otherwise complete the remainder of his sentence on licence.
At the time of his sentencing, he was told he would be deported to Pakistan once the term had been served.
Kabeer Hassan
Hassan, of Oldham, was convicted of rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
Hospitality worker Hassan, the youngest member of the gang, was given a girl to rape as a ‘treat’ for his birthday, the trial heard.
Following his conviction, he was jailed for nine years, and will now be free on the streets.
Hamid Safi
Illegal immigrant Safi, from Rochdale, arrived in the UK from Afghanistan after hiding underneath a lorry.
He was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy and jailed for four years.
At the time of his sentencing, he was told he would be deported to Afghanistan following the conclusion of his term.
Abdul Qayyum
Qayyum, known as ‘Tiger’, was convicted of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
A taxi driver and a businessman, he was sentenced to five years in jail in 2012 and will now be free on the streets.
![Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed urged his victims to call him 'Daddy'; he still has a decade of his sentence remaining](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80082549-12968329-Rochdale_grooming_gang_leader_Shabir_Ahmed_urged_his_victims_to_-a-12_1705416267049.jpg)
Rochdale grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed urged his victims to call him ‘Daddy’; he still has a decade of his sentence remaining
Shabir Ahmed
Twisted ringleader Ahmed, who urged his victims to call him ‘Daddy’, was sentenced to 19 years in prison for his role as the kingpin in the Rochdale grooming gang.
He had been employed as a welfare rights officer within Oldham Council but was convicted of two counts of rape, sex assault, trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
Since then, Ahmed’s jail term has been extended by three years after he was convicted of repeatedly raping a girl, and another 12 months after attacking another inmate behind bars.
In theory, he could remain in jail until around 2034, but could be granted parole to serve the remainder of his sentence on licence. He has also sought to appeal against the decision to deport him to Pakistan upon release.
Sara Rowbotham, coordinator of a team set up to provide sexual health support to young people, tearfully said on Monday that she had been ‘scapegoated’ after trying to raise concerns, only to be accused of not referring abused children to police.
Ms Rowbotham’s team had identified at least 11 children they believed had been exploited for sex by a gang of Asian men – but GMP and Rochdale Council opted not to progress any investigation into the men, according to yesterday’s report.
The report found there was ‘compelling evidence’ of widespread, organised sexual abuse of children in Rochdale from as early as 2004 onwards, with multiple reports of the involvement of groups of Asian men cited.
But while GMP hailed Operation Span as ‘a fantastic result for British justice’, the report states the police operation failed to address numerous other crimes and ignored children’s allegations, leaving their abusers off the hook.
The failure of law enforcement and social services to address the widespread claims of child sex rings was immortalised by BBC drama Three Girls.
The force has since launched further investigations, which have so far resulted in the conviction of 42 men involved in the abuse of 13 children.
![Sara Rowbotham said she had been made into a 'scapegoat' after being accused of not passing on concerns about grooming, when she had in fact done so](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80078765-12968329-Sara_Rowbotham_said_she_had_been_made_into_a_scapegoat_after_bei-a-13_1705416267050.jpg)
Sara Rowbotham said she had been made into a ‘scapegoat’ after being accused of not passing on concerns about grooming, when she had in fact done so
![Former Greater Manchester Police detective Maggie Oliver, who left the force and turned whistleblower after the force failed to act on allegations of grooming in Rochdale](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/14/80078991-12968329-Former_Greater_Manchester_Police_detective_Maggie_Oliver_who_lef-a-14_1705416267050.jpg)
Former Greater Manchester Police detective Maggie Oliver, who left the force and turned whistleblower after the force failed to act on allegations of grooming in Rochdale
Five men were jailed for a combined 70-plus years in 2023 after being convicted of the abuse of two young girls between 2002 and 2006.
And ten men were jailed for a total of 125 years in 2016 for abuse involving eight girls and women.
Asked if he should have known what was going on within the service 20 years ago, current chief constable Stephen Watson said on Monday: ‘The extent to which individuals, strategic leaders knew, or did not know, of various things is I’m afraid beyond my knowledge.
‘What I would say is that, as the chief constable, the buck tends to stop with you.’
Former detective Ms Oliver, who resigned from GMP after being dismissed by her bosses as an ’emotional woman’ when she tried to get action on grooming, said: ‘This is a story of thousands of children’s lives that have been blighted.
‘Like Sara, this has been nearly 20 years of my life. It almost ruined my life.’
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