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A man named John Ashby, aged 32 and without a fixed address, has admitted to raping a Sikh woman in her own home in Walsall last October. He changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, following an incident in court where he was verbally abused in the dock. The charges included rape, robbery, intentional strangulation, and religiously aggravated assault.
The court heard that Ashby initially denied the allegations but admitted responsibility after a public outburst disrupted the proceedings. The incident occurred after Ashby began mumbling during the Crown’s presentation of evidence. A member of the public, reportedly from the Sikh community, approached the dock and swore at Ashby in response, prompting a calm intervention by a court usher commended by Judge Justice Pepperall.
According to the prosecution, the attack began when Ashby followed the woman as she disembarked from a bus. He broke into her home armed with a two-foot stick. Upon hearing noises inside, the woman tried to lock herself in the bathroom, but Ashby forced his way in and proceeded to rape her. During the assault, he subjected her to religiously aggravated abuse, mistakenly believing she was Muslim. The woman was struck with the stick, strangled, and coerced into saying phrases dictated by Ashby. He also forced her into the bathtub, running hot water over her and demanding she say “hallelujah.” Following the attack, Ashby took the victim’s jewelry and mobile phone before fleeing due to a noise outside.
After being arrested in Birmingham’s Perry Barr area two days later, Ashby made several statements indicating racial and religious hostility. He questioned why the victim was not wearing a hijab and remarked that “you never see any Englishmen in Perry Barr anymore” when booked into custody. The court was told the victim identified Ashby during an identity parade shortly after the assault. Ashby is set to be sentenced on Friday, with the judge considering imposing a life sentence, noting the danger posed by someone who carries out such violent offences against a stranger motivated by hostility based on religion
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