A man has been sentenced to over two years imprisonment in what police have described as a landmark case under new online safety legislation, after threatening a teenage girl with rape and encouraging her to self-harm.
Disturbing Threats and Travel Plans
Shabaz Khokar, 24, from Greenwich in London, had been communicating online with a teenage girl from Staffordshire during the summer of last year. The court heard how Khokar had threatened to sexually assault the victim and sent her screenshots of a train ticket he had booked to travel to her home in August 2025.
Police Interception and Initial Arrest
When Khokar's train arrived at Stafford railway station, officers from Staffordshire Police were waiting for him. The 24-year-old was arrested at the station but answered no comment during police questioning. He was subsequently released on bail with strict conditions that prohibited him from entering Staffordshire or contacting the victim.
Breach of Bail Conditions
Despite these court-imposed restrictions, Khokar ignored the bail conditions and continued to send messages to the victim. Police investigations revealed he had been inciting the teenager to self-harm and attempting to persuade her to drop the criminal case against him.
Further Charges and Guilty Plea
Following this breach, Khokar was arrested again and faced additional charges. He eventually pleaded guilty to two serious offences: encouraging or assisting serious self-harm by another person, and sending communications threatening serious harm.
Historic Sentencing Under New Legislation
On Monday, January 19, at Woolwich Crown Court, Khokar was sentenced to two years and five months imprisonment. This case represents the first sentencing in Staffordshire under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023, which introduced new criminal offences that came into effect on January 31, 2024.
The legislation now criminalises several harmful online behaviours including:
- Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm
- Cyberflashing
- Sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm
- Threatening communications
- Intimate image abuse
- Epilepsy trolling
Police Statement and Restraining Order
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police stated: "A man who threatened to rape a girl and encouraged her to self-harm has been sentenced in a landmark case for Staffordshire. We then discovered that Khokar had been sending messages to the victim, inciting her to self-harm and to drop the case against him."
As part of his sentencing, Khokar was also served with an indefinite restraining order against the victim, providing her with ongoing legal protection from further contact or harassment.
The case highlights the increasing use of new legislative powers to combat harmful online behaviour and protect vulnerable individuals from digital threats and coercion.
