A serial rapist fled to Pakistan leaving his victims "cheated" and claiming he was allowed to keep his passport because of his human rights. Amar Ilyas, 41, formerly of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, was sentenced in his absence in June to 27 years in prison for 20 sex offences against five women. He bolted to Pakistan while on court bail, failing to appear in court in September last year. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it is making every effort to make sure Ilyas appears in court.
Victim speaks out
A woman abused by Ilyas when she was a teenager told the BBC she felt "cheated" as she was unable to leave her home after what he did while her attacker was free to leave the UK. She told the broadcaster: "There is no justice is there really? He didn't take accountability. He's not getting any consequences for his actions."
She claimed that the survivors of Ilyas' abuse were informed he was able to keep hold of his passport due to his human rights, adding: "But he wasn't humane towards other people." The woman said it was a "big insult" when his human rights and feelings were considered.
Travel to Pakistan
He reportedly travelled to Pakistan in July last year and ignored a judge's order to return to Britain. The BBC reported that Ilyas was allowed to keep his passport after a court appearance and making another trip abroad. He had returned that time to the UK while subject to court bail.
Ilyas's younger brothers are currently in prison. One of the women raped by Ilyas was sexually abused by Kamran Ilyas and raped by Kamar Ilyas. Kamran Ilyas and Kamar Ilyas were sentenced to three and 10 years in prison respectively for their crimes against the woman. The three brothers' abuse began when she was 12-years-old and they were in their late teens, according to the NCA.
Operation Stovewood
All three men were arrested in June 2020 as part of Operation Stovewood, a police investigation into abuse allegations in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
In a statement heard in court during their trial, the woman, who is now in her 30s, said: "The three defendants exploited my vulnerability and stole my childhood. What they did to me didn’t end when the abuse stopped — it has shaped every year of my life since. This hasn’t been a chapter I could close. It has been a lifelong sentence I never agreed to serve. I am asking the court to understand the full weight of the damage they caused — damage I carry in my mind, my body, my relationships, and my future."
Sheffield Crown Court also heard Amar Ilyas raped another woman when she was 13 and sleeping at a friend's house. She said at the time: "I have had to find the strength to fight and face my fears - something you didn’t have the courage to do yourself. I am finally taking back control because I’ve seen you for what you are – a bully, a coward, and I will never let someone like you or what happened to me, define who I am."
The third woman was about 13 when Ilyas groomed her with drugs and alcohol before raping her at her own home twice. She described him as a coward unable to face the consequences of his crimes. Ilyas raped a fourth woman in an alleyway after spotting her on her own in Sheffield. She vowed not to let what he did beat her. A fifth woman was 16 when she was taken to Ilyas who raped her in his car.
