Mohammed Khan, 34, of Silhill Hall Road, Solihull, admitted stalking involving fear of violence on the first day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The court heard he sent his wife threats including: "Your family are going to die one by one. You shall die tonight."
Khan, a father of one, was jailed for seven months on remand, serving the equivalent of a 14-month sentence. On Tuesday, September 29, Recorder Bleasdale suspended a 16-month jail term for three years, taking into account the time already served.
Campaign of Harassment
Prosecutor Emily Waggott told the court that after the relationship ended, Khan's wife reported him for coercive and controlling behaviour. He then constantly breached his bail conditions, harassing her and her family.
In a 16-day period, there were approximately 2,000 calls to the victim's phone. Khan used no caller ID and created several email accounts to contact her, leaving voicemails saying: "I will kill every motherf*** in your family, I promise you this." He also told her: "People are already on their way to your house, I'm going to shoot first and then ask questions later."
He sent emails saying: "Your family are going to die one by one. You shall die tonight." He also called her names and threatened to share intimate pictures of her with other men.
Court's Response
Recorder Bleasdale told Khan: "During that intense period, you bombarded your wife with some venom. Being on bail didn't discourage you. Your behaviour resulted in a very unpleasant quality of life for your wife. Fortunately for you, those messages were not accompanied by violence."
He added: "I make it absolutely clear to those listening that I bear in mind that you have already been in custody for seven months, the equivalent to 14 months."
A five-year restraining order was also made to protect his wife.
Victim's Impact
In a victim impact statement, the wife said: "I'm sick and tired of the emotional abuse. I don't feel safe in my own house. His abuse is having an effect on my family. They are afraid."
She added: "I wake up every morning drained as I know I will have to read several abusive messages. I feel distressed and on edge. I feel I will never be free of him. I just want my life back, I feel I can't breathe and feel suffocated by him."
Khan denied the allegations during a police interview, claiming he didn't have a phone or social media and had "too many medical issues to worry about that." He also blamed his wife's sister, saying she didn't like him.
Previous Convictions
Khan has five previous convictions, including two for battery. His barrister, April Beech, agreed it was "appalling behaviour" but argued he had been out of trouble for eight years since his last offence in 2017.
Beech said: "He sincerely regrets what he has done. He doesn't feel right about it. He went about it in the wrong way. He has upset the wife that he cares about and is missing his child's life. Being remanded for the past seven months has made him realise that he is missing out on time with his child and with his very frail father."
