Rochdale grooming trio lose citizenship

THREE members of the notorious Rochdale paedophile ring will be stripped of their British citizenship after a Court of Appeal ruling.

Abdul Aziz, Adil Khan and Qari Abdul Rauf were among nine men jailed over horrific crimes against teenage girls in 2012.

Theresa May, then home secretary, ruled in 2015 that all three should lose their British citizenship as a prelude to deportation to Pakistan when they are released from prison.

The trio challenged the decision, but senior judges yesterday ruled that stripping them of citizenship is “conducive to the public good”.

Lord Justice Sales said: “The men treated the girls as though they were worthless and beyond all respect.

“They were motivated by lust and greed.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “This was an appalling case, which is why we took action to deprive these criminals of their UK citizenship.”