Convicted rapist Amar Ilyas fled to Pakistan on bail and was sentenced in absence
Amar Ilyas, 41, went to Pakistan in July 2025 while on court bail and missed his trial. He was later convicted of 20 sexual offences and sentenced in his absence to at least 27 years. Survivors question why he kept his passport.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Amar Ilyas, 41, was convicted of 20 sexual offences against five girls in Sheffield and sentenced in his absence to a minimum of 27 years in prison, after he left the UK while on bail. BBC NewsN “Amar Ilyas, 41, was convicted of 20 sexual offences against five girls in Sheffield and was sentenced, in his absence, to a minimum of 27 years in prison.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily ExpressR “was sentenced in his absence in June to 27 years in prison for 20 sex offences against five women” Read at Daily Express ↗ Mixed · 2He went to Pakistan in July 2025 and did not return for his trial in September that year, despite the judge ordering him to fly back to the UK. BBC NewsN “He went to Pakistan in July 2025 and did not return for his trial in September of that year, despite being ordered to fly back to the UK by the judge.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily ExpressR “failing to appear in court in September last year” Read at Daily Express ↗ Centre · 1The BBC understands he was allowed to keep his passport after appearing in court and had previously travelled abroad on court bail but returned to the UK; it understands that when his defence applied for bail, the prosecution, which could have contested it, made no request for the passport to be forfeited. BBC NewsN “The BBC understands he was allowed to keep his passport after appearing in court and had previously travelled abroad while on court bail, but had returned to the UK.”“no request for his passport to be forfeited was made” Read at BBC News ↗
Centre · 1Ilyas was arrested in 2020 and charged in 2023 as part of the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood, which investigates sexual abuse in South Yorkshire. Sheffield Crown Court heard the offences were against girls as young as 12 in the Meersbrook and Sharrow areas of Sheffield between 2004 and 2007. BBC NewsN “Amar Ilyas was arrested in 2020 and charged in 2023, as part of the NCA's Operation Stovewood, investigating sexual abuse in South Yorkshire.”“between 2004 and 2007” Read at BBC News ↗ Mixed · 2Three of his victims told the BBC they felt "betrayed" and "frustrated". One said she was "cheated" because she felt unable to leave her home while her abuser could leave the country. She said survivors were told he kept his passport because of his human rights. BBC NewsN “they feel "betrayed" and "frustrated" after their attacker fled to Pakistan while on bail.”“We were told that he got to keep his passport because of his human rights but he wasn't humane towards other people.” Read at BBC News ↗ Daily ExpressR “She claimed that the survivors of Ilyas' abuse were informed he was able to keep hold of his passport due to his human rights” Read at Daily Express ↗ Centre · 1The women called for passports to be removed from sex offenders during court proceedings. One said she had little hope he would return, having been told extradition from Pakistan is very difficult. BBC NewsN “Going forwards, I think they need to put into place that they remove the passports,”“I've been told it's very difficult with Pakistan with extradition,” Read at BBC News ↗
Centre · 1His younger brothers Kamar Ilyas, 40, and Kamran Ilyas, 39, are in prison for sexual offences against one victim, serving 10 years and three years respectively. All three were sentenced in June. BBC NewsN “Kamar Ilyas, 40, was jailed for 10 years and Kamran Ilyas, 39, was sentenced to three years.”“sentenced all three brothers in June” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 1Judge Peter Hampton, who sentenced the brothers but did not oversee the earlier bail applications, said Ilyas had "taken the coward's route and fled". He urged law enforcement to use "all means" to execute the outstanding arrest warrant. BBC NewsN “described Amar Ilyas as having "taken the coward's route and fled".”“use "all means" to execute the arrest warrant that remains outstanding.” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 1The NCA said it was "making every effort to ensure Ilyas is brought before the court". Phillip Marshall, head of Operation Stovewood, said officers were carrying out proactive enquiries and the NCA was "just as determined" that Ilyas serves his sentence. BBC NewsN “making every effort to ensure Ilyas is brought before the court”“We are just as determined to ensure that Ilyas serves his prison sentence.” Read at BBC News ↗
Centre · 1The government said bail restrictions are "a mattter for the independent judiciary". A spokesperson said ministers are "cracking down on vile abusers" as part of a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. BBC NewsN “decisions on bail restrictions are a mattter for the independent judiciary”“we're cracking down on vile abusers as part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 1Lucy Duckworth of the Survivors Trust called the case "absolutely appalling". She said it showed the need for specialist courts and training in sexual violence response, and argued the justice system is failing victims. BBC NewsN “described the case as "absolutely appalling" and said it demonstrated the need for specialist courts and training” Read at BBC News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Survivor-led account of a justice-system failure. It leads with victims feeling "betrayed" and includes responses from the government, the NCA, the judge and the Survivors Trust.
- Emphasis
- Victims' calls to remove passports, the missing forfeiture request, official responses and calls for reform.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not detail the individual victims' court statements.
- Charged language
- “betrayed”“coward's route”
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Outrage-led headline built on the passport and 'human rights' angle. It relies heavily on the BBC's interviews and adds details of the victims' court statements.
- Emphasis
- Human rights as the reason for the passport decision, and the graphic details of the offences and victim statements.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the government's response, the judge's comments, and the BBC's report that no passport forfeiture was requested.
- Charged language
- “Fury”“serial rapist”“bolted”
- For example
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“Fury as serial rapist flees to Pakistan - kept his passport because of ‘human rights’” — Daily Express
“A serial rapist fled to Pakistan leaving his victims "cheated"” — Daily Express
What every side reports
- Amar Ilyas, 41, was sentenced in his absence to 27 years for 20 sexual offences.
- He left for Pakistan in July 2025 while on court bail and missed his September 2025 trial.
- He had been allowed to keep his passport.
- The NCA says it is making every effort to bring him before the court.
- His brothers Kamar and Kamran Ilyas are in prison for offences against one victim.
Where accounts differ
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Why Ilyas kept his passport
- Centre
- The BBC reports a victim saying survivors were told it was because of his human rights. It also reports that, as it understands, no request for forfeiture was made when bail was applied for.
- Right
- The Express puts the human-rights explanation in its headline as the reason he kept it. It attributes the claim to the survivor and does not mention the prosecution not seeking forfeiture.
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Whether the victims were girls or women
- Centre
- The BBC says five girls, with offences against girls as young as 12.
- Right
- The Express says five women, though it describes several as 13 or 16 at the time.
Amar Ilyas person
Ilyas has not commented. He is a fugitive in Pakistan, with an arrest warrant outstanding, and was sentenced in his absence.
“the arrest warrant that remains outstanding” — BBC News
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Survivors 'betrayed' after rapist fled to Pakistan while on bail
Sympathetic Centres survivors' sense of betrayal and the passport question, with official responses and calls for reform.
Right1 article
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Fury as serial rapist flees to Pakistan - kept his passport because of ‘human rights’
Alarmist Highlights fury and the 'human rights' explanation for the passport, drawing on the BBC interviews and adding court statements.
- 7 Oct 06:10 First BBC NewsN Survivors 'betrayed' after rapist fled to Pakistan while on bail
- 7 Oct 08:40 +2h 29m Daily ExpressR Fury as serial rapist flees to Pakistan - kept his passport because of ‘human rights’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.