A man who threatened to rape a teenage girl and urged her to self-harm has been locked up in a landmark Staffordshire case under the new Online Safety Act.
Shabaz Khokar Sentenced to Over Two Years
Shabaz Khokar, 24, from Greenwich, London, was sentenced to two years and five months in prison. He pleaded guilty to encouraging serious self-harm and sending threatening communications to the victim.
Threats and Travel Plans Exposed
Khokar targeted a teenage girl in Staffordshire through online messages. He threatened to rape her and even sent screenshots of a train ticket showing his planned journey to her home.
Staffordshire Police were waiting to arrest him as soon as he arrived at Stafford train station. Khokar refused to comment during questioning and was initially bailed with strict conditions barring him from entering Staffordshire or contacting the victim.
Continued Abuse After Arrest
Despite bail restrictions, Khokar carried on sending messages to the girl, pushing her to self-harm and to drop the case against him.
This prosecution is the first under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 in Staffordshire, which introduced tough new online criminal offences from 31 January 2024.
