THE case of a cab driver rapist who appealed against his conviction and sentence - despite still being on the run - has been kicked out in five minutes flat by leading judges.

Sultan Amari, 48, fled the UK during his trial at Chester Crown Court in September 2016 for the rape of a student in the city.

The Syrian cabbie, formerly of Chester Road, Flint, was convicted in his absence of two rapes and sentenced to 11 years in jail.

Despite remaining on-the-run, he launched bids to appeal against his convictions and sentence via email to the Court of Appeal.

Amari complained he should not have been convicted without being present at the trial and that his sentence was too tough.

The case reached court, but it took judges in London only a few minutes to reject his "unarguable" complaints.

Dismissing the conviction challenge, Mr Justice Dingemans said: "This was a hopeless complaint, because he had deliberately decided to abscond."

The court heard Amari picked up the young woman when she emerged from a bar following a night out in the city.

Her demeanour, as depicted in CCTV footage, suggested she was drunk.

All she remembered was being in the bar and then waking up, being held down as she was raped at an unfurnished house.

Amari claimed the woman had initiated sex with him and that everything they did was consensual.

However, he disappeared after giving evidence at his trial, flew to Turkey and emailed the crown court to say he would not come back.

Mr Justice Dingemans said Amari had put forward numerous arguments to suggest his convictions were wrong and his sentence too long.

"They all appear to be an assertion that he didn't act wrongly, when the jury was entitled to be sure that he did," said the judge.

"We have been unable to discern any grounds of appeal and we refuse these renewed applications."

Amari was not represented by lawyers at the hearing.