THE teenage victim of a foreign national who groomed and then sexually exploited her has called for him to be deported.
Yesterday, the Lancashire Telegraph revealed Pakistani citizen Zulfar Hussain, 48, formerly of Cowell Way, Blackburn, could return to East Lancashire after successfully appealing a deportation order.
The Home Office, backed by Justice Minister and Blackburn MP Jack Straw, are appealing the decision, but his 18-year-old victim says she is ‘living in fear’.
The Blackburn girl, who was 13 when Hussain began showering her with gifts, cash and drugs, said: “I was told a few months ago that he would be due to be released at the start of April.
“I just started to cry. I’ve not slept since I learned he could be allowed back to the area.
"I’m terrified and looking over my shoulder all the time.
“It has taken me two-and-a-half years to get back on track and I want him as far away as possible.”
Hussain was jailed after an investigation by the Engage team found he and fellow paedophile Qaiser Naveed, 34, formerly of Colne Road, Burnley, had been adbucting two young girls, plying them with alcohol and drugs and then sexually exploiting them.
The teenager said she had suffered daily flashbacks and post-traumatic stress disorder following her ordeal.
Hussain’s solicitor Nadeem Sadiq, of Manchester-based firm Just Law, said he only learned about the Home Office appeal after reading the Lancashire Telegraph story.
He said: “It’s news to me, I’ve received no paperwork.
"My client’s current situation is that although his release date has passed and the appeal was in his favour, he is still in Wymott prison (near Leyland).
“Technically, he should have been released, but we are liaising on a date.”
Mr Sadiq justified Hussain’s successful appeal against deportation, which was granted by a senior judge at Manchester Crown Court on March 30.
“We argued under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, the right to respect for private and family life.
“He’s now allowed to see his kids and they’ve been visiting him in prison, his family are supporting his case.
“He has greatly expressed his remorse and has been well-behaved in prison.
"His wife and children are British citizens, he has no previous convictions in Britain or in Pakistan and has been living here for 15 years.”
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