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Burnham, Ministers Review Deportation of Convicted Rapist Ahmed

7/2/2026

25 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Mayor Andy Burnham and ministers are reviewing ways to deport Shabir Ahmed despite a bar.
Ahmed, 73, will be released on licence this week after his 2012 conviction for rapes.
He must live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and stay within an exclusion zone around Rochdale.
The Home Office says Immigration Act 1971 bars deportation because he arrived before 1973.
Survivor Ruby says she fears for her safety and children.

History

Historical Context

The Immigration Act 1971, passed under Prime Minister Edward Heath, created the right of abode and set a six-month visitor limit for non-patrial Commonwealth citizens, while preparing the UK for EC membership on 1 January 1973. Its deportation provisions, later cited in the Terrorism Act 2000, now constrain Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Home Office officials as they assess the supervised-housing case of convicted rapist Shabir Ahmed.

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Story summary

Mayor Andy Burnham and ministers are reviewing ways to deport Shabir Ahmed despite a bar.
Ahmed, 73, will be released on licence this week after his 2012 conviction for rapes.
He must live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and stay within an exclusion zone around Rochdale.
The Home Office says Immigration Act 1971 bars deportation because he arrived before 1973.
Survivor Ruby says she fears for her safety and children.

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