The news comes amid pressure to deport Khan to Pakistan
The news comes amid pressure to deport Khan to Pakistan(Image: PA)
A convicted member of a grooming gang from Rochdale will not be able to return to the country after fleeing the UK, the Home Office has said.
Adil Khan, who is aged in his 50s, was among nine gang members jailed in 2012 for sexually abusing children in the borough. Khan, then in his 40s, impregnated one girl and then met the another victim who he trafficked to others for sex, using violence when she objected.
He was sentenced to eight years in 2012 and released on licence four years later. He has since fought a long legal battle against deportation. Earlier this year, there were renewed calls for him and another gang member to be sent back to Pakistan.
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Mr Khan and fellow grooming gang member, Abdul Rauf, was told by the sentencing judge in 2012 he would be sent back to Pakistan following his release from jail.
However, the pair have both fought against deportation on the grounds that it would interfere with their human rights, mounting multiple legal challenges and appeals.
Earlier this year, Rochdale MP Paul Waugh described his ‘utter outrage’ that the two men remained in the UK and had thwarted repeated attempts to deport them back to their native Pakistan.
Greater Manchester Police revealed it has been conducting compliance checks on Mr Khan since he was released from prison in 2016. The force has now confirmed that ‘he was not there’ during the most recent visit from officers on October 21 and that it was established he had left the country.
In an update, the Home Office confirmed that Khan was subject to a deportation order, which means he will now be unable to return to the UK after leaving.
A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and survivors of grooming gangs who have shown immense bravery throughout their pursuit of justice.
“Adil Khan is a vile man who has fled the country and will not be able to return.”
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “We’ve regularly conducted compliance checks with Adil Khan since he was released from prison.
“On our most recent visit on 21 October he was not there and our enquiries have since established he has left the country. We are working alongside the Home Office in our efforts to locate him.”