Brothers found guilty of child sex abuse

Three brothers from Sheffield have been convicted of historical child sexual abuse offences against five victims.

Kamran Ilyas, 38, and Kamar Ilyas, 39, were found guilty of a total of five sexual offences against one of the girls, who was 12 years old when Kamar first met her in 2004.

They were convicted on Monday, following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, and are due to be sentenced on 22 June.

Amar Ilyas, 41, was found guilty of 20 offences against five victims, including rape, but did not attend his trial in September 2025 and is believed to have travelled abroad.

Reporting restrictions in Amar's trial meant the verdicts can only now be made public now the trial of his younger brothers has concluded. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

All three men were arrested in 2020 and charged in 2023, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

In 2018, officers from Operation Stovewood contacted a woman from Rotherham who they identified had possibly been a victim of child sexual abuse.

The woman, who is now in her 30s, told them she had been groomed and raped by Kamar, and then sexually abused by Amar and Kamran, between 2004 and 2008, at locations across Sheffield.

While he was aged between 17 and 18 years old, Kamar encouraged the 12-year-old victim to meet him at locations around Sheffield where he sexually abused and raped her.

He then introduced the girl to his brother, Amar, who raped the girl on a weekly basis for three years, the NCA said.

The woman recalled being frightened of him and feared he he might harm her family, after he showed her a handgun he kept in his car.

As inquiries continued, officers identified four further women who reported being abused by Amar when they were teenagers or young adults.

He had used threats of gang rape to coerce others he abused, as well as biting one girl and holding up a spanner while attacking her in a car.

The NCA said it is believe Amar fled to Pakistan following his arrest,

Senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said: "Amar, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas remorselessly terrorised vulnerable girls from Rotherham and Sheffield.

"Amar Ilyas' 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."

Kamar Ilyas, now of Chesterfield, was found guilty of rape of a girl under 13 and two counts of sexual activity with a child between 13 and 15 years old.

Kamran Ilyas, also of Chesterfield, was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child between 13 and 15 years old.

Operation Stovewood, which was set up to investigate non-familial child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, is the largest of its kind in the UK.

To date, 52 people have been convicted, receiving sentences totalling more than 1,500 years.

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