Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rochdale sex offender says he was treated 'like a political football'

Rochdale sex offender says he was treated 'like a political football'

ONE of the Rochdale sex offenders has protested his deportation to Pakistan by claiming he is barely surviving on benefits and has been treated 'like a political football', reported the MailOnline

Adil Khan, 51, was told he will be sent back to Pakistan for the public good, after he was part of a gang convicted of a catalogue of serious sex offences in May 2012.


Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, will hear deportation appeals late this year. They were among nine Asian men convicted for sex offences against vulnerable girls in 2012. Police fear there were as many as 47 victims.

Since release from jail, they have fought a long legal battle against deportation, mounting multiple legal challenges and appeals, spanning seven years before 11 different judges, on the grounds that deportation would interfere with their human rights.

Khan had said he had renounced his Pakistani citizenship, meaning his exile from Britain would make him 'stateless' and should prevent his deportation.

He told an immigration hearing on Wednesday (16) they had been treated like a 'political football' and he could not afford to travel to London to hear his final appeal in June.

According to the MailOnline, failure to deport any of the gang has led to widespread anger in Rochdale, where victims realised they had been living alongside their recently-released tormentors.

A string of Home Secretaries have also come under fire after being accused of failing to act after members of the group were ordered to be deported in 2015.

Both Khan and Rauf listened via a Mirpuri translator to the First-Tier Immigration Tribunal hearing, held on a video link, on Wednesday where a final date was set to hear their appeal against deportation, the report added.

Judge Charlotte Welsh granted an application for anonymity for the lawyers representing Rauf, who is legally aided, that they should not be named in any report of the hearing, the MailOnline report added. An appeal hearing has been set for June 22.

Khan and Rauf were among four of the offenders with dual UK-Pakistani citizenship, so liable to be stripped of UK citizenship and deported, after then-home secretary, Theresa May ruled to deport them.

The pair, along with another man, Abdul Aziz, then fought and lost, a long legal battle against the deprivation order, losing a final Court of Appeal ruling in 2018.

More For You

Daljit Nagra departs as chair of Royal Society of Literature

Daljit Nagra (Photo: RSL)

Daljit Nagra departs as chair of Royal Society of Literature


THE Royal Society of Literature (RSL) has announced the departure of Daljit Nagra, a well-known British Indian poet, as its chair at the conclusion of his four-year term.

Amid some frenzied UK media speculation over the leadership of the 204-year-old home for Britain’s literary talent, the charity also confirmed that its director will be stepping down at the end March. It comes in the wake of rows over freedom of speech and accusations that the RSL had failed to speak out in favour of some writers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Los-Angeles-wildfires-Getty

The fires have destroyed hundreds of homes in Pacific Palisades, a high-profile area known for its multimillion-dollar residences. (Photo: Getty Images)

Celebrities evacuate as Los Angeles wildfires destroy homes

CELEBRITIES including actors, musicians, and other public figures were among tens of thousands affected by deadly wildfires in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The entertainment industry has largely paused, with events such as a major awards show and a Pamela Anderson film premiere cancelled as firefighters combat flames driven by hurricane-force winds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tirupati-temple

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which operates the temple, apologised for the incident and promised action against those responsible. (Photo: X/@TTDevasthanams)

Six dead in stampede at India's Tirupati temple

AT LEAST six people have died and 35 were injured in a stampede near the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh, authorities said on Thursday.

The incident occurred as thousands of devotees rushed to secure free passes to visit the temple, popularly known as Tirupati.

Keep ReadingShow less
People-smuggling-Getty

Last year, 36,816 people were detected making the crossing, a 25 per cent increase from 2023 and the second-highest annual total on record. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Sanctions to target people smugglers under new plan

THE GOVERNMENT has announced plans to impose economic sanctions on people smugglers in an effort to curb migrant crossings in small boats over the Channel.

The proposed measures, described as the world’s first “standalone sanctions regime” targeting people smugglers, aim to address the issue by sanctioning individuals and groups facilitating these dangerous journeys.

Keep ReadingShow less
China’s mega dam sparks
growing concerns in India

The £109.4 billion project is in the fragile Himalayan region, prone to earthquakes

China’s mega dam sparks growing concerns in India

CHINA on Monday (6) reiterated its plan to build the world’s biggest dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet near the Indian border. This follows New Delhi’s concerns raised last Friday (3), stating that it will “monitor and take necessary measures to protect our interests.”

The project, estimated to cost around $137 billion (£109.4bn), is located in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region along a tectonic plate boundary where earthquakes occur frequently.

Keep ReadingShow less