Rochdale Child Sex Gang Fight Deportation After Jail
Nine gang members jailed in 2012 for horrific child sex offences in Rochdale are battling deportation. Among them are Abdul Aziz, 51, Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Rauf, 52 — the men accused of running a vile grooming ring.
‘The Master’ Aziz Escapes Deportation
Aziz, dubbed “the Master” by the gang, was told by the Home Office he won’t be deported. Khan and Rauf argue sending them abroad would breach their human rights. Despite this, Theresa May, then Home Secretary, backed stripping their British citizenship and deporting them, citing public welfare.
The trio have been locked in a drawn-out legal battle ever since leaving prison. At a recent immigration tribunal in London, it emerged Aziz had been informed he would keep his British citizenship. He even surrendered his Pakistani citizenship in July 2018 — just days before the Court of Appeal said he could lose his UK nationality.
Following that decision, Rauf and Khan also gave up their Pakistani passports in September 2018. But Rauf’s lawyers say the law demands consistent treatment. Rauf refuses to reclaim Pakistani nationality because it would mean deportation.
“I have a question for the Home Secretary, if Mr Aziz was an angel and I am a devil,” Khan said during the hearing.
Brutal Crimes Behind Their Convictions
- Aziz got nine years for conspiring to rape a child and trafficking a 15-year-old girl for sex exploitation. He drove her around Rochdale, bribing her with drugs and alcohol to force sex with gangs for cash.
- Rauf, a father of five, trafficked a 15-year-old girl in his cab, having sex with her in isolated spots before taking her to flats where others abused her.
- Khan impregnated a 13-year-old girl but denied paternity. He later violently trafficked a 15-year-old girl to others after she complained about him.
Deportation Decision Still Pending
The tribunal hearing was postponed, with a final decision on the deportation bids due later this year. The legal tug-of-war over these notorious Rochdale sex offenders shows no sign of ending soon.
