Tribunal urged to consider ‘statelessness’ issue of Rochdale sex offenders

AN IMMIGRATION tribunal hearing appeals against the deportation of two of Rochdale’s paedophiles has been told that the issue of statelessness should be considered if they were to be stripped of their UK citizenship.

Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf were previously convicted of sexually abusing under-aged girls.

The UK government says they should be deported to Pakistan for “public good”.

At Thursday’s (1) hearing, the judges heard the issue of statelessness should be considered before their appeals against their deportation to Pakistan are taken up under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Khan, 51, allegedly got a 13-year-old girl pregnant and trafficked another teenager for sex offences using violence. Rauf, 52, also trafficked a 15-year-old girl and had sex with her along with others.

The men, part of a larger nexus of sex offenders of Rochdale, were jailed in 2012 and released later.

Rauf’s lawyer Sonali Naik told the tribunal that the appeals of the two men should be taken up separately.

However, the government’s lawyer, Cathryn McGahey, who represented the Home Office argued that the two cases are fit to be taken up together because of their similar backgrounds.

The lawyers of Rauf and the government must now consult experts in Pakistani law for the forthcoming appeal hearing on the issue of statelessness, the MailOnline said.

The hearing has been adjourned to September.