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Three women who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a serial rapist have expressed feelings of betrayal and frustration after their attacker absconded to Pakistan while out on bail. Amar Ilyas, aged 41, was convicted of 20 sexual offences involving five girls in Sheffield. Although sentenced in his absence to a minimum of 27 years in prison, he fled the country before serving his term.
One victim shared with the BBC her disappointment that Ilyas’s passport had not been surrendered after he was charged, saying, “I was so disappointed in the law.” Another woman, abused by Ilyas at 13, revealed that she felt cheated, highlighting how she was restricted from going out while her abuser was free to leave the UK. “There is no justice is there really? He didn’t take accountability. He’s not getting any consequences for his actions,” she said. She also criticized the decision to allow him to keep his passport on human rights grounds, pointing out that he showed no empathy toward others.
Ilyas was first arrested in 2020 and charged in 2023 during the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Stovewood investigation into sexual abuse in South Yorkshire. According to court records, the crimes took place between 2004 and 2007 against girls as young as 12 in Sheffield neighborhoods including Meersbrook and Sharrow. He had previously traveled abroad while on bail but returned to the UK before eventually leaving for Pakistan in July 2025, failing to come back for his trial in September despite a court order. His two younger brothers, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas, are also imprisoned for sexual offences against one victim, receiving sentences of 10 and three years respectively.
A third survivor expressed little hope that Ilyas would return to the UK, citing challenges around extradition from Pakistan. She condemned both the perpetrator and the legal system, stating, “Shame on him but shame on the law too, they allowed that to happen.” The women, who remain anonymous, have spoken out to call for reforms aimed at preventing sex offenders from absconding while on bail, urging automatic surrender of passports in such cases. Judge Peter Hampton, who sentenced all three brothers in June, described Amar Ilyas as having “taken the coward’s route and fled,” calling on law enforcement to locate him and use all available means to enforce the outstanding arrest warrant.
Phillip Marshall, head of the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, emphasized the agency’s ongoing efforts to apprehend Ilyas. He acknowledged the complexity of the case and the harm caused, saying, “Amar Ilyas tormented and brutally sexually abused vulnerable young girls and women 20 years ago, and he has callously compounded their decades of suffering by not returning to the UK for his trial or sentencing.” Marshall reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring that justice is fully served.
Lucy Duckworth from the Survivors Trust labeled the case “absolutely appalling” and highlighted its implications for the criminal justice system. She criticized the current approach of granting bail to individuals considered dangerous, noting, “It doesn’t make sense the way we are treating this crime if we’re saying, ‘you’re such a risk to society’ and yet we’re giving bail and we’re allowing them the freedom to potentially commit that crime again or to evade justice by leaving the country.” She called for specialist courts and improved training on sexual violence for criminal justice staff, stressing the urgent need to address existing systemic failures.
A government spokesperson expressed sympathy for the victims and reiterated ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and bring offenders to justice. The spokesperson said: “These were horrible crimes, and our thoughts remain with the victims. More broadly we’re determined to protect vulnerable girls and bring those responsible to justice. That is why we’re cracking down on vile abusers as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
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