Labour Peer Mocks Victims While Convicted Rapist Remains Free In Pakistan
A Labour peer joked about grooming gangs on national radio while a convicted rapist remains free in Pakistan, raising questions about government accountability and survivor treatment.
Baroness Ayesha Hazarika laughed while joking about grooming gangs on national radio, saying "I'm like an enabler, I'm a groomer, oh my God." At that same moment, Amar Ilyas—the convicted predator victims called "Killer"—sat free in Pakistan. He faces 20 sexual offences including rape and firearm possession. Britain's national inquiry launches as its own political class mocks victims while the Home Office fails to secure evidence.
During a 24-second exchange on Times Radio Weekend Drivetime in February, Hazarika told host Stig Abell, "Just because I'm Muslim, stop it, honestly." Abell responded, "Don't groom me, Ayesha," prompting Hazarika to reply, "There will be an inquiry - a judge-led inquiry into me right now." Both parties laughed throughout the exchange broadcast to a national audience.
"I think it's sick. I think it's disgusting," said Ellie Reynolds, a grooming gang survivor abused from age 13 for five years including kidnapping and gang rape. "Would they be laughing and mocking that if it was them or their daughter?" Reynolds demanded a "genuine, heartfelt apology" from the Labour peer appointed to the House of Lords by Keir Starmer in March 2024.
Marilyn Hawes, founder of Freedom from Abuse, called the comments "hideous" and "typical of privileged people who have no idea about the reality of this issue." Robbie Moore MP described the broadcast as "absolutely disgraceful 'joking' commentary about one of the biggest national scandals."
Meanwhile, Amar Ilyas, 41, remains a fugitive in Pakistan after fleeing Britain following his conviction. Sheffield Crown Court convicted Ilyas on 20 sexual offences plus firearm possession related to crimes spanning 2004 to 2008 against five victims. One victim was raped weekly for three years; another was bitten during attacks where Ilyas used a handgun, crack cocaine, and threats of gang rape.
Ilyas was arrested in June 2020 and charged in March 2023 but released on unconditional court bail in 2020 before fleeing to Pakistan. His two brothers, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas, were remanded and face sentencing on June 22. The National Crime Agency's Joint International Crime Centre continues pursuing extradition while an arrest warrant remains active.
The victims' trauma compounds as the Home Office's seven-month delay in securing evidence potentially destroyed critical records. Baroness Casey's national audit recommended record preservation in June 2025, but the Home Office waited until Jan. 14, 2026, to issue formal preservation requests to police forces and agencies. Many agencies destroy records after six years by policy.
"This is a staggering failure at the heart of Government which once again undermines trust," said Robbie Moore MP. Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood requesting an explanation for the delay. The Home Office responded that the inquiry has statutory powers to compel document production, with non-compliance punishable by imprisonment.
The inquiry itself faces structural weaknesses that survivors say repeat past institutional indifference. The Home Office disbanded the survivors' liaison panel in January, leaving victims "betrayed and disrespected all over again," according to survivor Fiona Goddard.
The £65 million inquiry, scheduled to conclude by March 2029, will examine ethnicity, religion, and culture of offenders under terms of reference published March 31.
"I think they need to call a spade a spade," said Sammy Woodhouse, a Rotherham survivor who campaigned with Reform UK's Rupert Lowe. "It's evident that this is still a problem. Why are they shying away from it? To this day, no-one dare talk about immigration, about Islam."
Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency's investigation, has secured 52 convictions totaling more than 1,500 years in custodial sentences. Yet Woodhouse argues every council and police force should face investigation. "We've been able to identify hundreds of towns and cities where it was taking place," she said.
Baroness Anne Longfield, appointed inquiry chair in December 2025, promised to "follow the evidence wherever it leads" and "not flinch from uncomfortable truths."
Survivors point to historical patterns of institutional failure documented in the Jay Report, which found 1,400 children abused in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 while authorities looked away. The Casey audit identified systemic failures and institutional paralysis, with flawed ethnicity data collection obscuring patterns of abuse.
David Greenwood, a solicitor representing abuse victims, expressed concern about Home Office involvement in selecting investigation areas. "Involvement of the Labour-run Home Office and indeed the presence of Labour figures on the panel still concerns me," he said.
The inquiry launches as another victim, identified only as Amelia, alleged she was smuggled into Parliament for sex with a senior politician. Greater Manchester Police acknowledged "unacceptable conduct" by officers in an internal report but did not uphold complaints about uniformed officers abusing her.
As Baroness Longfield prepares to confront what she calls "one of the darkest moments in our country's history," survivors question whether this inquiry differs from previous investigations that failed them. The Labour peer's mockery, the fugitive predator, and the destroyed evidence suggest institutional indifference persists beneath promises of accountability.