Greenwich Man Receives Prison Sentence in Landmark Online Safety Case
A 24-year-old man from Greenwich has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for making serious threats against a teenage girl in what authorities describe as a landmark case under new legislation.
Disturbing Threats and Travel Plans
Shabaz Khokar threatened to rape the teenage girl, whom he had been communicating with online, during August of last year. In a particularly alarming development, he showed her screenshots of a train ticket he had booked to travel to her home, demonstrating his apparent intent to carry out the threats.
Police officers were waiting for Khokar at Stafford train station and arrested him immediately upon his arrival. During custody, he answered no comment to questions and was subsequently bailed with strict conditions that prohibited him from entering Staffordshire or communicating with the victim.
Continued Harassment Despite Bail Conditions
Despite these restrictions, Khokar resumed contact with the teenage girl online, telling her to self-harm and attempting to pressure her into dropping the case against him. This led to his re-arrest and additional charges being brought against him.
The case reached Woolwich Crown Court, where Khokar admitted to encouraging or assisting serious self-harm by another person and sending communications threatening serious harm. In addition to the prison sentence, he received an indefinite restraining order against the victim.
First Sentencing Under New Online Safety Legislation
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police confirmed this case represents the first sentencing under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 within Staffordshire. The legislation introduced several new criminal offences that came into effect on 31 January 2024.
These offences include:
- Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm
- Cyberflashing
- Sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm
- Threatening communications
- Intimate image abuse
- Epilepsy trolling
The case highlights the increasing legal consequences for online harassment and threatening behaviour, particularly under the strengthened protections provided by recent legislation designed to combat digital abuse and exploitation.
