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Man jailed for threatening to rape a Staffordshire girl and encouraging her to self-harm

A Man who threatened to rape a girl from Staffordshire and encouraged her to self-harm has been sentenced in a landmark case.

By Daniel Walton
Published

Shabaz Khokar, aged 24, of Greenwich, London, was sentenced to two years and five months at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday after admitting to encouraging or assisting serious self-harm by another, and sending communication threatening serious harm. 

In August 2024, Staffordshire Police found that Khokar had been speaking to a teenage girl in Staffordshire online. 

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Khokar was sentenced following an incident where a girl was threatened with rape and encouraged to self-harm
Khokar was sentenced following an incident where a girl was threatened with rape and encouraged to self-harm

The force found that Khokar had threatened to rape her, and sent her screenshots of a train ticket he had booked to travel to her home. 

When his train arrived at Stafford train station, the police were waiting for him and arrested him. 

Khokar answered no comment when questioned in custody, and was bailed under strict conditions, prohibiting him from entering Staffordshire or communicating with the victim. 

However, when officers found that Khokar had still been sending messages to the victim, inciting her to self-harm and to drop the case against him, he was again arrested and charged with further offences. 

As part of Khokar's sentencing, he was also served an indefinite restraining order against the victim. 

A force spokesperson said: "The case marks the first sentencing under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 in Staffordshire, where new criminal offences were brought into effect on January 31, 2024. 

"The offences include, encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, cyberflashing, sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm, threatening communications, intimate image abuse and epilepsy trolling." 

Landmark case for Staffordshire

The case marks the first sentencing under section 184 of the Online Safety Act 2023 in Staffordshire, where new criminal offences were introduced and 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.

As part of Khokar’s sentencing, he was also served with an indefinite restraining order against the victim.

To read more about the Online Safety Act, visit: Online Safety Act: explainer - GOV.UK