Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf, both over fifty years old, were convicted of involvement in a grooming gang that raped nearly 50 girls in Rochdale, United Kingdom nearly a decade ago. Now, they are invoking their ‘human rights’ to fight their deportation to Pakistan.
The grooming gang gang raped minors after plying them with alcohol and drugs and then grooming them for sexual abuse. Adil Khan claimed to be ‘stateless’ at an immigration tribunal case management hearing on Thursday, with lawyers arguing that it could be a bar to deportation.
He had caused outrage when he told a preliminary hearing, ‘We have not committed that big a crime.’ Khan said complaining about the media coverage, ‘The journalists have made our lives a living hell. We are not that big a criminal. We have not committed that big a crime.’ ‘I’m innocent. I’m not committing any crime. The journalists made us out to be big criminals,’ he added.
Both were convicted for his crimes in 2012. The deportation proceedings were launched by then Home Secretary Theresa May ‘for the public good’.
The lawyers argue that their deportation would violate Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which relates to the right to a private and family life. Adil Khan impregnated a 13 year old girl before trafficking a 15 year old girl for sex, and using violence when she complained. He was sentenced to eight years in prison but was released four years later under a license.
Abdul Rauf is convicted for trafficking a 15 year old for sex, taking her to a flat in Rochdale where he and his acquaintances abused her. He was sentenced to six years before being released after two and a half years in prison. He is a father of five. The deportation hearing has been adjourned till September.
The Grooming Gang phenomenon has received widespread coverage in recent years after attempts were made to cover up the sexual exploitation of children due to predominant religious background and ethnicity of the criminals.
The overwhelming majority of the rapists are Muslims from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds and they would predominantly target white girls or women of other religions for their crimes.