Sahil Bhavnani, a 22-year-old Indian-origin student, was sentenced to four months imprisonment (suspended for two years) and asked to leave for Hong Kong after being found of stalking by a UK court. Bhavnani is said to have threatened a female nursing student at Oxford Brookes University by sending her a 100-page letter. A five-year restraining order was also imposed on him.
Defence lawyer Richard Davies also informed the court that Oxford Brookes University had decided to expel him from the university and the degree he was on. Judge Nigel Daly also informed Bhavnani that if he violated the restraining order, he would have to serve his full sentence.
In her statement, the victim said that she was terrified that Bhavnani would sexually assault her after getting voice messages from him saying he would make her his wife and get her to have his children. He claimed that he had copied the threats from poetry found online, but pleaded guilty to stalking, but not guilty to a more serious form of the offence. Bhavnani had already spent a month on remand after breaching his bail earlier.
The victim has now asked the university to review their policies regarding this matter. In a statement, Oxford Brookes University said it wanted to reassure students that it took “reports of harassment, violence or abuse very seriously” and added that lessons would be learned.
Bravo on his parents. Nice family values.