Law firm blasted over sex gang members’ bid to stay in country
ALAW firm has been blasted as ‘cavalier and unprofessional’ for helping members of the Three Girls paedophile gang avoid deportation by obstructing the courts.
Top immigration judge Mr Justice Bernard McCloskey criticised law practice Burton and Burton Solicitors at a hearing to discuss the cases of Shabir Ahmed, Adil Khan, Qari Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz.
The four men were convicted in 2012 of grooming girls as young as 13 in Rochdale and Heywood, giving them drink and drugs before they were ‘passed around’ for sex.
Earlier his month, the horrifying events were dramatised in a BBC series called Three Girls, starring Maxine Peake.
All four are appealing against a decision by the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, to strip them of British citizenship as the first step to deporting them. ●●Burton & Burton solicitors in Nottingham, which is under investigation for its conduct during a deportation tribunal of (inset from left) Shabir Ahmed, Adil Khan, Qari Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz
Nottingham-based Burton and Burton Solicitors are representing the men in the appeals funded by the hour by the taxpayer through the Legal Aid Fund.
In a report published following the most recent adjournment in December, Justice McCloskey warns ‘scarce judicial and administrative resources have been wasted’ by the firm’s actions trying to stall proceedings by making appeals for adjournments and not filing reports on time. He linked the actions to a number of other cases where outcomes had been delayed by such stalling tactics.
Describing the situation as ‘frankly shameful’, he said: “To describe this state of affairs as grossly unsatisfactory is an acute understatement. The tribunal has been treated with sustained and marked disrespect.
“The conduct of these appeals has been cavalier and unprofessional. The rule of law has been weakened in consequence.
“Disturbingly, there have been multiple recent examples of similar conduct and misconduct.
“In a recent lecture to the Law Society I spoke of the vital importance of partnership between the legal profession and the judiciary, There is no evidence of this partnership in these cases.”
Ringleader Ahmed, who urged his victims to call him ‘Daddy’, was given a 19 year sentence at Liverpool Crown Court in May 2012 for a string of child sex offences, including rape. He was also jailed for 22 years, to run concurrently, in July 2012 for 30 rapes against another victim.
Khan was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Rauf was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Aziz was convicted of trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.
In March legal watchdog The Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed it had begun a probe into Burton & Burton.
When contacted by our sister title, the Nottingham Post, Burton and Burton said it did not wish to comment while the cases were ongoing.