Man who fled the country after raping girls as young as 12 is jailed in his absence

A man who fled to Pakistan before being convicted of raping defenseless 12-year-old girls has been sentenced in absentia to 27 years in prison.

Detectives said Amar Ilyas, 41, who went by the moniker Killer, “brutally terrorized” girls in Sheffield, biting one victim, using a gun and threatening to gang rape others he had abused nearly 20 years ago.

Jailing Ilyas in his absence on Monday, Judge Peter Hampton praised the bravery of the five women who gave evidence against him and said their voices had finally been heard and jurors believed them.

Judge Hampton compared this to the “cowardice” shown by the defendant, who fled to a different continent to evade justice while on bail.

The judge said that İlyas “took the coward’s path and ran away”.

He said: “He continues to manipulate proceedings from abroad, ensuring that his lawyer embraces the good work he does for society, while at the same time shying away from these cases in a different jurisdiction.”

The judge called on authorities to use “every means” to bring him back to the UK.

National Crime Agency (NCA) detectives told how Ilyas subjected a child to “three years of unremitting torture and rape” from the age of 12.

Ilyas was found guilty of raping four victims and sexually assaulting a fifth in September 2025; His two brothers, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas, were convicted earlier this year of a series of crimes related to one of the girls Amar raped.

On Monday, Kamar İlyas was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Kamran İlyas was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

The brothers were arrested as part of the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, a major investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, although this crime mostly took place in nearby Sheffield.

Judge Hampton told the defendants: “Your victims were targeted, sexualised and in some cases subjected to degrading and violent acts.”

The judge added: “They were naive and young, well into their teens, and sensitive to the attention lavished on them.

“Some were groomed, some were subdued and intimidated, and some were violently raped.”

Judge Hampton said: “They showed immeasurable courage in giving evidence.”

After re-reading part of a victim impact statement, the judge said: “She and four other complainants have now been heard by these juries.

“They are believed now.”

The complainant had previously read his statement to the court.

She said: “For years, I suffered the consequences of your actions while I was made to feel that my voice did not matter and that I would never be believed.”

“These three defendants took advantage of my vulnerability and stole my childhood,” the woman said.

Guilt, he said, “is engrained in the foundation of my life.”

The woman said: “The abuse they gave me didn’t stop when it ended. It has shaped every year of my life since then.”

Another victim said in her statement read to the court: “No child should experience what I experienced.”

And in a statement read later, a third victim said: “I’m a survivor and you’re a coward.”

The fourth complainant said: “I hope you go to hell for what you did to me.”

Amar Ilyas, 41, was found guilty of five counts of rape of a child under 13, nine counts of rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of indecent assault and one count of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to create fear of violence.

These were committed between 2004 and 2007, when he was between 19 and 22 years old.

Kamar İlyas, 39, was found guilty of rape of a child under the age of 13 and sexual activity with two children.

These were committed between 2004 and 2006, when he was 17-20 years old.

Kamran İlyas, 38, was convicted twice of having sexual intercourse with a child.

These were committed in 2004, when he was 17 years old.

More than 50 people were convicted following investigations as part of Operation Stovewood, which the NCA said was the largest law enforcement operation of its kind in the UK.

Stovewood found more than 1,100 children were abused between 1997 and 2013, with previous estimates putting the cost at around £90 million.

NCA senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said: “The court heard loud and clear from the women how the Elijah brothers inflicted devastating pain on them and the pain that affects them to this day.”

Crown Prosecution Specialist Prosecutor Martin McRobb said: “Brothers Amar Ilyas, Kamar Ilyas and Kamran Ilyas groomed a young girl with alcohol and drugs.

“Each of them took advantage of her vulnerability to sexually abuse her, causing her serious and lifelong harm.

“Amar Ilyas targeted four more young girls and subjected them all to the most horrific acts of rape and sexual assault.

“They have all now been held accountable for their horrific and appalling predatory crimes.”