Grooming ringleader to remain in prison

THE ringleader of a grooming gang will stay behind bars for longer after the Parole Board refused to release him.

Mubarek Ali was jailed for 14 years in 2012 for a string of sexual offences after he and a group of other men, including his brother, preyed on young girls in Telford, Shropshire.

In what was thought to be one of the largest operations in the history of West Mercia Police, about 50 officers worked on the investigation to break up the child prostitution ring.

Aged 29 at the time of his crimes, which included controlling child prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation, Ali was released automatically part-way through his sentence in 2017.

However, he was sent back to prison just under a year later after he was found to have broken his licence conditions.

Parole judges said they “could find no evidence to suggest that his level of risk towards others had reduced” and were “not satisfied” he was suitable for release, according to a document setting out the decision.

Now 38 years old, this is his second review by the Parole Board since his recall to prison

He will be eligible for another parole review before his sentence comes to an end in October

2032.