A PAEDOPHILE who kidnapped and sexually exploited two underage girls will be deported after a legal battle.

Campaigners and his victims were outraged when Pakistani-national Zulfar Hussain won the right to stay in the country last April.

He had argued that he should not be deported because he had a wife and children in Blackburn.

Now, after 10 months of legal wrangling and further appeals, during which Hussain sacked his legal team, a special immigration court has ruled he must be sent back to Pakistan.

The 48-year-old was sentenced to five years and eight months in jail for child abduction, sexual activity with a child and supplying youngsters with ecstasy and had been due to be released in April after serving half the term.

But the UK Borders Agency immediately lodged its own appeal to keep Hussain held in an immigration removal centre while they fought he ruling.

A spokesman for UKBA said he would now been flown out of the country as soon as possible.

He said: “Our priority is to protect the public and we strongly believe foreign law breakers should be removed from the UK at the earliest possible opportunity.

"The UK Border Agency will automatically seek to deport any foreign national criminal who has been jailed for a serious offence.”

UKBA officials are now preparing the paperwork for his deportation and the ‘wheels are in motion’ to put him on the next available flight.

Hussain, formerly of Cowell Way, Blackburn, was jailed in August 2007 for grooming two girls aged 13 and 14, showering them with gifts, cash and heroin before taking them to a house and using them for sex.

His fellow convicted sexual predator Qaiser Naveed, 34, formerly of Colne Road, Burnley, did not appeal against his deportation order.

However Hussain, who spent his time in custody at HMP Wymott near Leyland, based his claim to stay in the country on his ‘right to a family life’ as he had lived in Blackburn with his family for 10 years.

A previous appeal hearing was told that his wife and children were all British citizens and were standing by him and had been to see him in prison.

His representatives said that he had expressed remorse and had been well-behaved in prison an that he had no previous convictions in Pakistan or Britain.

But his victim, now 18, previously told the Lancashire Telegraph she was living in fear and ‘constantly looking over her shoulder’ knowing he could be released back into Lancashire at any moment.

And Blackburn MP and former justice minister Jack Straw said any decision which allowed him to stay in the country was 'concerning' and he backed the Home Office's decision to appeal Hussian's bid to stay in the country.

DS Mark Whelan, from the multi-agency Engage team which investigated the case as one of its first major inquiries, said it was a victory for common sense.

He said: “The impact on the victims in this case will be reduced following this successful appeal by the UK Borders Agency.

“The Engage team continues to support victims both before and after court cases. I'm sure both victims will be happy with this result.

“Knowing he’s back in Pakistan will mean they are able to feel safe and draw a line under this whole episode.”