Member of Rochdale grooming gang says son would ‘lose role model’ if he is deported

A member of the notorious Rochdale grooming gang has told a judge he should not be deported because his son ‘needs a role model.’

Gang members Adil Khan, fifty-one, and Qari Abdul Rauf, fifty-two, were convicted of a number of serious sex offences in 2012, and have now been told they will be deported to Pakistan for the public good.

Since their release from prison, the pair have fought a lengthy legal battle to remain in the country on the grounds that it would interfere with their human rights.

And this week, Khan – who trafficked an underage girl and got another pregnant – has told a judge his deportation would impact the wellbeing of his son.

GMP

Appearing at a final hearing on Wednesday June 22nd, Khan told Judge Charlotte Welsh, as per ITV News: “As you know, the father figure is very important in every culture in the world, to be a role model for the child, to tell him or her right from wrong.”

He also claimed he is not wanted by his family back in Pakistan because his reputation would affect their business.

Read More: Health worker who exposed Rochdale child sex abuse ring awarded MBE

As part of the notorious gang, Khan got a thirteen-year-old girl pregnant, though denied he was the father.

He later met a fifteen-year-old girl, who he trafficked to other gang members, often using violence when she complained.

ITV

For two years, a gang of men in Rochdale preyed on girls as young as twelve, plying them with alcohol and drugs before raping them in rooms above takeaway shops.

GMP believe as many as forty-seven underage girls were groomed, with many being ferried to different flats where cash was paid to use them.

Nine gang members were eventually prosecuted in 2012, mainly thanks to the work of health worker Sara Rowbotham, who repeatedly raised concerns about dozens of young girls she believed to be at risk.

Rowbotham became an integral part of the prosecution, which included convictions of sex trafficking, rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Earlier this year, she was appointed MBE for services to young people at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.