Mubarek Ali: New target for petition to keep leader of Telford sexual grooming gang behind bars
More than 27,000 people have signed a petition calling to keep the leader of a Telford grooming gang behind bars.
Mubarek Ali is set to be released from prison after serving just five years of his 22-year sentence, despite warnings from Telford's MP Lucy Allan that victims still in the area are "living in fear" of his return.
Ali was one of two leaders of a sexual grooming gang that preyed on girls as young as 13 in Telford.
Captured as part of Operation Chalice and jailed back in 2013, he has been told he will be released on licence as early as November.
Ashley Ray, who started the petition, said that an example needed to be made of Ali.
Today Fay Maxted, CEO of rape support charity The Survivors Trust, said that his release was a "slap in the face for victims".
"We've got someone who has already proven to be dangerous back on the streets," she said.
"There's no let off for victims. They don't get a lighter sentence. They suffer for years from the after effects of being traumatised and being violated and that can carry on for their entire life – they don't get out early on appeal. For a lot of victims and survivors it doesn't seem like justice.
"I think it's about how we judge the crimes of people who've committed such horrible and damaging offences such as this. We're talking about life changing offences in very young people, some of the worst crimes you can imagine. This sentence should be reflecting that."
Ms Maxted said that more people were coming forward than ever, but that it was still an ordeal for rape victims when a case came to court.
"The criminal justice in this country is quite horrible for victims," she said.
"They are put through cross examination by barristers who can be quite adversarial, quite aggressive. We might have expected unacceptable lines of questioning 10 or 20 years ago, but it's still happening today. It's not the victim that should be on trial."
