OXFORD BROOKES STALKER WHO SENT TERRIFYING 100 PAGE LETTER
A young man of Indian origin, aged 22, who was found guilty of stalking by a UK court, has received a suspended sentence and will be leaving the UK for Hong Kong after being expelled from Oxford Brookes University.Sahil Bhavnani, accused of threatening a female student on campus, was sentenced on Thursday to four months in jail, suspended for two years, and was issued a five-year restraining order.
The decision was announced by Judge Nigel Daly at Oxford Crown Court, just before it was confirmed that Bhavnani would fly back to Hong Kong with his father on Saturday.
The defendant’s lawyer, Richard Davies, informed the court that Oxford Brookes University had expelled Bhavnani from the university and his course of study.
A suspended sentence involves delaying the serving of the jail term to provide an opportunity for probation; if conditions are broken, the sentence may be activated.
Per reports from the Oxford Mail, Bhavnani was originally scheduled for sentencing the previous month.
However, due to the university needing additional time to decide whether he would be expelled—potentially up to six weeks the case was postponed until January 2022.
The university later moved up its decision to complete proceedings this week.
Judge Daly warned Bhavnani, “If you breach that [restraining] order there is a maximum of five years' imprisonment to serve.
I hope that your obsession with her is over,” It was also revealed in court last month that Bhavnani had sent a lengthy, 100-page letter filled with threats to a female nursing student, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons.
He claimed that he based these threats on poetry he found online.
The student stated she was frightened that Bhavnani might physically assault her.
While Bhavnani admitted to stalking, he denied more serious charges.
He had already served a month in detention for breaching his bail restrictions earlier.
The victim described receiving prolonged voice messages where Bhavnani expressed his desire to marry her, have children, and live together despite her repeated refusals and warnings to contact police.
She has called for reforms in university policies and increased support for victims of stalking.
Oxford Brookes University said it treats reports of harassment, violence, or abuse with seriousness and that lessons would be learned from this incident.
The university also noted that, after a conduct hearing, the strictest penalty possible was applied in this case, leading to Bhavnani’s expulsion.
The institution acknowledged the importance of improving responses in cases where student behavior intersects with criminal law.
