Man pleads guilty to religiously aggravated rape

John Ashby, a 32-year-old man with no fixed address, has admitted guilt for the religiously aggravated rape of a Sikh woman in her home in Walsall. The trial, which began at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, saw the accused face verbal abuse on the second day as proceedings were interrupted by a public outburst.

During the trial, Ashby initially denied the charges but changed his stance on Tuesday, confessing to the assault that occurred in October 2025. The disruption happened when a member of the public approached the dock, swore at the defendant, and interrupted the session. This followed Ashby’s mumbled responses during the Crown’s evidence, which included the violent act of hitting his victim with a stick.

The attack unfolded when Ashby followed the woman as she disembarked from a bus. Unaware of his presence, she entered her property, where he had already retrieved a stick from the ground. Once inside, he forced her into the bathroom after she tried to lock herself in. “Once inside the bathroom he turned the light off, telling her that he was ‘here to have fun’,” said prosecutor Phil Bradley KC.

“Despite her screams, he told her to take her clothes off, he struck her with the stick, and he put his hands around her neck to strangle her and demanded that she climb into the bathtub,” Bradley added.

Ashby also subjected the woman to a barrage of anti-Muslim insults, mistakenly believing she was of that faith. After the rape, he ordered her to the bedroom, insisting she lie on the bed while repeating his mantra of being the “master.” He referred to his private parts as white British, claiming the act was part of his enjoyment.

The assault ended abruptly when Ashby was “evidently spooked by a noise outside” and fled, leaving the woman with stolen jewellery and a mobile phone. She later identified him at an identity parade, leading to police intervention within minutes of raising the alarm.