Victim's relief as grooming gang rapist's bid for freedom blocked

A GROOMING gang victim has spoken out after a man who raped her was told he will stay in prison despite finishing his sentence.

- BY NICK SOMMERLAD Investigations Editor

Shahmeel Khan, 37, has been inside for 14 years for repeatedly raping an A-level student as well as armed robbery.

The teenager was one of over 1,000 girls exploited by mainly Asian paedophiles in Telford, Shropshire, in a scandal exposed by the Sunday Mirror.

Last night she said a decision to block Khan's move to an open prison was a “huge weight off my shoulders”.

Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood vetoed a Parole Board recommendation due to public safety fears and Khan's drug abuse.

After reading the Parole Board report on Khan, victim Kate Elysia said: “I couldn't see anything that showed he understood his sexual offences.

“I was also really unimpressed that two witnesses had suggested he wasn't safe to be released but that he should be in open conditions so that he could be 'tested'.

Disgraceful

“So they are literally ready to gamble with his risk of sex offending. I thought that was disgraceful, dangerous risk-taking on their part.

“I've always remained aware of how dangerous that man was. Those risks don't go away.”