Women abused by serial rapist 'betrayed' after he fled to Pakistan while on bail when he was allowed to keep his passport 'for human rights reasons'

Three women who were abused by a serial rapist said they feel 'betrayed' after he fled to Pakistan while on bail. Paedophile Amar Ilyas, 41, was convicted of 20 sexual offences including 13 counts of rape against five girls in Sheffield and was sentenced - while out of the country - to a minimum of 27 years in jail last year. He had been allowed to keep his passport while on bail 'because of his human rights', one victim was allegedly told, before fleeing to Pakistan in July 2025 and failing to return for his trial two months later. One woman who was sexually abused by Ilyas when she was 13 said she felt 'cheated' because while she was too afraid to go outside, her abuser was able to leave the country. 'There is no justice is there really? He didn't take accountability. He's not getting any consequences for his actions,' she said. 'We were told that he got to keep his passport because of his human rights but he wasn't humane towards other people.'The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it is 'making every effort to ensure Ilyas is brought before the court', while the government said 'decisions on bail restrictions are a matter for the independent judiciary'. It comes amid concerns around dangerous offenders being granted bail routinely to tackle overcrowding in prisons, described by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee as 'alarmingly full'. Amar Ilyas, 41, was jailed for 27 years for the sexual abuse of five girls but has not faced justice as he was able to flee to Pakistan while on bail Ilyas was allowed to keep his passport after appearing in court and had travelled abroad while on court bail, it is understood, before returning to the UK. He then fled to Pakistan in July 2025 and failed to come back for his trial in September the same year, despite being ordered to fly back by a judge. His victim told the BBC: 'He didn't show any empathy so it was a really big insult when his human rights and feelings were taken into consideration.' Ilyas, who used the nickname 'Killer', was convicted of 20 historical sex offences against five young victims.Three of the girls were aged 13 or under - and the eldest was just 18 - when the abuse took place in the 2000s.He was jailed for nearly three decades in his absence as Sheffield Crown Court heard he 'remorselessly terrified' girls, biting one victim and using a gun and threats of gang rape to coerce others into sexual activity.Judge Peter Hampton urged the authorities to use 'all means' to bring him back to the UK.His younger brothers Kamar, 39, and Kamran, 38, were jailed for 10 years and three years respectively for sex offences.The brothers were finally arrested in June 2020 by National Crime Agency officers from Operation Stovewood, an estimated £90million operation investigating allegations of grooming and sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.One woman had been contacted by officers who identified she may have been a victim of child sexual abuse.She described being raped at the hands of Amar and subsequently four other victims were identified. His brother Kamar Ilyas, 39, was jailed for 10 years for rape and other sexual offences The youngest brother, Kamran Ilyas, was jailed for three years. The men were convicted as part of the National Crime Agency's Operation Stovewood investigationReading a victim impact statement at court, one complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: 'The three defendants exploited my vulnerability and destroyed my childhood.'She said the brothers 'degraded… ridiculed and humiliated' their victims after forcing sex upon them.A government 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.'It came amid rising concerns over prolific offenders being granted bail 'despite strong submissions from the police and CPS'. Andy Burnham last month condemned the 'disturbing' case of paedophile Zafer Dogan, 32, who photographed women and girls before using AI to make them look nude - while repeatedly released on bail. Dogan was jailed for two years and four months last month after admitting to taking thousands of images of his victims which he then altered to 'nudify' them for his own sexual gratification. Dogan, who worked as a mechanic, was repeatedly bailed despite the 'risk' he posed locally. While awaiting sentencing, he was allowed back to his flat in Enfield, north London -forcing one family who fell victim to his crimes to move into temporary accommodation.The decision to let Dogan stay at his flat - which overlooked a children's playground - was criticised by Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley following the trial, who said 'children should be put first, not the paedophile'.Sir Mark explained the family 'ultimately felt forced to move to a distant temporary accommodation, disrupting their lives and disrupting their children's lives, simply to escape being in the neighbourhood of the offender'.'That is simply not acceptable,' he added. 'The pressure to reduce the remand population has contributed to more dangerous and prolific offenders being granted bail routinely despite strong submissions from the police and CPS.' The Prime Minister said Sir Mark's viewpoint 'needs to be heard,' and asked those working in the criminal justice system to make 'necessary changes'.