Four members of a child sex grooming gang have had appeals against deportation from the UK to Pakistan dismissed.
Shabir Ahmed, Adil Khan, Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz, all from Rochdale, appealed against a move to strip them of their British citizenship. The Ringleader is thought to be 63year old Shabir Ahmed. The ruling said they could apply to the Court of Appeal on legal grounds.
The four were among nine men from Rochdale and Oldham who were jailed in 2012 for exploiting girls as young as 13. Ahmed was convicted of two rapes, trafficking, conspiracy and sexual assault. His crimes included giving a 15-year-old girl he had raped on several occasions to a young man he referred to as his nephew, who also raped her.
Khan, Rauf and Aziz were found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child and trafficking for sexual exploitation. He is currently serving a maximum imprisonment of 22 years but has since been released on licence.