A man who fled to Pakistan while on bail has been jailed for 27 years in his absence after being convicted of raping four vulnerable girls and sexually abusing a fifth.
Amar Ilyas, 41, who used the nickname “Killer”, subjected girls as young as 12 to years of sexual violence and intimidation in Sheffield almost two decades ago.
Ilyas was convicted in September 2025 of raping four victims and sexually abusing a fifth.
The National Crime Agency said one child endured three years of repeated rape and abuse from the age of 12.
His offending included biting one victim and using a firearm and threats that girls would be gang raped to coerce and control them.
Fled UK while on bail
Ilyas left the country for Pakistan while on bail and was not present when he was convicted or sentenced.
Sentencing him in his absence on Monday, Judge Peter Hampton praised the five women who came forward and gave evidence against him.
The judge contrasted their courage with Ilyas’s decision to flee, saying: “He took the coward’s route and fled.”
Judge Hampton added: “He continues to try and manipulate the proceedings from abroad, having his counsel espouse his good work for the community whilst simultaneously cowering from these proceedings in a different jurisdiction.”
The judge urged authorities to use “all means” available to return Ilyas to the UK.
Brothers also jailed
Two of Ilyas’s brothers were also convicted of offences relating to one of the girls he raped.
Kamar Ilyas was jailed for 10 years, while Kamran Ilyas received a three-year prison sentence.
The investigation formed part of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, the major investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, although the offending in this case predominantly took place in neighbouring Sheffield.
Ilyas remains outside the UK following his 27-year sentence.
