‘Coward’ who raped girls as young as 12 jailed for 27 years in his absence

Amar Ilyas, 41, who used the nickname Killer, “remorselessly terrorised” girls in Sheffield, biting one victim and using a gun and threats of gang rape to coerce others he abused almost 20 years ago, detectives have said.

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

Judge Hampton contrasted this with the “cowardice” shown by the defendant, who fled to a different continent to avoid justice while he was on bail.

The judge said Ilyas “took the coward’s route and fled”.

He said: “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 the authorities to use “all means” to bring him back to the UK.

Detectives from the National Crime Agency (NCA) have described how Ilyas subjected one child to “three years of relentless torment and rape” from the age of 12.

Ilyas was found guilty of raping four victims and sexually abusing a fifth in September 2025, and two of his brothers, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas, were found guilty earlier this year of a string of offences in relation to one of the girls Amar raped.

On Monday (Jun 22), Kamar Ilyas was jailed for 10 years and Kamran Ilyas for three years.

In a statement read at court one of the women, 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 that 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 heard statements from three more of the women who Amar Ilyas sexually abused.

A woman in her 30s, who was around 13 years old when Amar Ilyas raped her while she slept at her friend’s house, said: “The sad fact in all this is that no matter how many years you may serve in prison, this will never leave me.

“But what I can say is that no matter how much I suffered, I always get back on my feet. 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 also around 13 years old when Amar Ilyas groomed her with alcohol and drugs, then raped her at her home on two separate occasions.

She said: “I hope that now I can start to try and rebuild my life and show that I am stronger than you, better than you, kinder than you and have higher moral standards than you.

“I am a survivor. You are a coward who can’t face the consequences of your own wrongdoing.”

The fourth woman, who was around 18 or 19 years old when Amar Ilyas raped her in an alleyway after seeing her alone in Sheffield, said: “You made me suffer for so many years.

“You took advantage of me when I was vulnerable. I look back and think, how dare you do what you did to me. You have ruined a big part of my life but you will never win, I won’t let you. I have built a life for myself and even though I will always have to live with what happened I will not let it beat me.”

The brothers were arrested as part of the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, which is the huge investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, although this offending mainly took place in nearby Sheffield.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings said: “The court heard loud and clear from the women how the Ilyas brothers inflicted devastating suffering upon them, suffering which affects them to this day. In each of the women’s words, their bravery, strength and determination to survive shone through.

“I would like to thank all five survivors for putting their trust in Operation Stovewood. Reliving the abuse they suffered has been difficult for the women, but with their courage and perseverance they have helped us ensure that the Ilyas brothers have been held to account for their crimes.”

Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The brothers Amar Ilyas, Kamar Ilyas and Kamran Ilyas groomed a young girl with alcohol and drugs. They each sexually abused by preying on her vulnerability, causing her serious and lifelong harm. Amar Ilyas targeted four other young girls and subjected them all to the most horrendous acts of rape and sexual assault.

"They have now all been held accountable for their horrific and appalling predatory crimes through the jail terms they have received.

"I want to once again recognise these women for their immense courage in coming forward and for remaining supportive of a complex investigation and a lengthy legal process. Their determination and strength in seeing this case through has been crucial to bringing these offenders to justice.

"The CPS will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to pursue perpetrators of child sexual abuse and secure justice for victims, no matter how many years have passed."