Man who fled to Pakistan before trial convicted of raping girls as young as 12 in Sheffield
Amar Ilyas, who used the nickname Killer, bit one victim and used a gun and threats of gang rape to coerce others he abused,
A 41-year-old man who fled to Pakistan before his trial was found guilty in his absence of raping vulnerable girls as young as 12 who were “remorselessly terrorised” almost 20 years ago in Sheffield, it can be reported.
Amar Ilyas, who used the nickname Killer, bit one victim and used a gun and threats of gang rape to coerce others he abused, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
The NCA said 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 but reporting of his crimes was postponed until the end of a separate trial of two of his brothers, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas.
Kamar and Kamran were found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday of a string of offences in relation to one of the girls Amar raped, the NCA confirmed.
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.
The NCA said a woman in her 30s contacted Stovewood to say she had been groomed from the age of 12 and raped by Kamar, and then abused by Amar and Kamran Ilyas, between 2004 and 2008, at locations across Sheffield.
Kamar introduced the girl to Amar who raped her on a weekly basis for three years in parks, houses and his car.
An agency spokesman said Amar gave the girl, who was terrified of him, perfume and jewellery and once gave her a cigarette laced with crack cocaine before raping her.
Amar also showed the girl a handgun he kept in his car, before taking her into a wooded area and raping her.
The spokesman said the girl was also sexually abused by Kamran Ilyas – who was around 17 at the time – at a flat and a playground in Sheffield.
Operation Stovewood officers went on to identify four more women who had been abused by Amar Ilyas.
One complainant was raped when she was 16 and he was around 20.
After she got into his car, he bit her face then raped her, threatening her with a spanner if she did not stop crying, the spokesman said.
Amar Ilyas, from Sheffield, fled to Pakistan before his trial after a court released him on unconditional court bail, the NCA said.
He failed to appear for his trial and was tried and convicted in his absence eight months ago.
He was found guilty of 13 counts of rape – including five of raping a girl under 13, the NCA said.
He was also found guilty of indecent assault, engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child, and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Kamar Ilyas, from Sheffield, was found guilty of rape and engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child.
Kamran Ilyas, from Sheffield, was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child.
The brothers will be sentenced on June 22 at Sheffield Crown Court.
National Crime Agency Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings said: “Amar, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas remorselessly terrorised vulnerable girls from Rotherham and Sheffield.
“Amar Ilyas’s victims were terrified of him and he mercilessly played on their fear to get them alone, sexually abuse them and ensure their silence afterwards.
“Our investigation found Amar Ilyas targeted his victims opportunistically or groomed them extensively.
“In one case Amar Ilyas subjected a child to three years of relentless torment and rape.
“Her suffering was compounded by the sexual abuse his brothers also committed against her.
“Despite the horrendous abuse all five women have suffered, they have shown great courage and absolute determination to see the perpetrators face justice, which our investigation has ensured for them all.”
Mr Hastings said a warrant has been issued for Amar Ilyas’s arrest.
He said Operation Stovewood officers and the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre are “carrying out proactive inquiries to locate and arrest” him.
More than 50 people have been convicted after investigations under Operation Stovewood, which the NCA says is the largest law enforcement operation of its kind in the UK.
Stovewood has has identified more than 1,100 children involved in exploitation between 1997 and 2013, and previous estimates have put its cost at about £90 million.