Man given life sentence for rape and religiously aggravated assault of Sikh woman

A man who raped a Sikh woman in her home while subjecting her to a tirade of religiously aggravated abuse has been given a life sentence.

During his attack in Walsall, John Ashby beat the woman - in her 20s - with a stick, while also shouting anti-Muslim abuse, wrongly believing her to be of that faith.

In a sentencing hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, the judge described the 32-year-old as a "deeply unpleasant racist and Islamaphobe".

Ashby was told he would serve a minimum term of 14 years in prison.

Warning: This story contains distressing details

During the trial, which began on Monday and ended on Tuesday when Ashby admitted his guilt, the court heard how he had followed the victim - a stranger - as she got off a bus in October 2025.

After the woman reached her home, Ashby, without her knowledge, also entered the property, armed with a two-foot stick he had picked up from the ground.

He admitted charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault.

Passing sentence, judge Mr Justice Pepperall said Ashby, of no fixed address, had held the woman against her will "as you sexually and physically assaulted her for at least 24 minutes".

The judge referred in his sentencing remarks to how Ashby, as the court heard on Monday, was arrested in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham two days after the attack, and when booked into a police station there, stated"you never see any Englishmen in Perry Barr anymore".

He also said to Ashby: "On being shown a photograph of the woman during your police interview, you asked why she wasn't wearing a hijab."

As the prosecution opened its case earlier this week, the court heard that after barging into the victim's bathroom, Ashby forced her to take off her clothes while telling her he was a "British master".

He also put his hands around her neck to strangle her, and demanded that she climb into the bathtub.

"He turned on the hot water tap and began pouring water over her, telling her to say 'hallelujah' as he did so," said prosecutor Phil Bradley KC.

The prosecution added that after raping the woman, Ashby instructed her to go into the bedroom and lie on the bed, saying - as he had earlier in the attack - that he was there "to have fun". He also referred to his private parts as being white British.

Bradley said the attack only came to an end because Ashby was "evidently spooked by a noise outside" and ran away, taking the victim's jewellery and a mobile phone.

The victim sat through Friday's sentencing hearing and appeared emotional at times but was supported by friends.

In a personal statement read into the court record by a barrister, the woman said: "What happened to me has changed every part of my life.

"Before the incident life was great. I was enjoying life. Now following the incident my life has drastically changed. I feel like that version of myself has been stripped away by a complete stranger with no explanation as to why.

"I feel lost and I struggle to recognise myself."

The hearing was told Ashby had 10 previous convictions for 18 offences and a history of drug abuse-related mental illness.

At the time of the rape he was homeless, having been discharged from psychiatric care three days earlier without a support package after it was decided he was no longer psychotic.

The judge told Ashby that while a doctor's report had concluded his mental health was negatively affected at the time of the offences, it was "not by any underlying disorder or mental illness" but by "your voluntary use of illicit drugs".

Ashby changed his pleas on Tuesday shortly before his victim was due to give evidence.

During the day's proceedings, he had appeared to swear under his breath as the Crown presented evidence, with a member of the public - believed to be from the Sikh community - then approaching him in the dock and swearing back.

About an hour after that exchange, Ashby asked to speak to his barrister, and admitted his guilt.

Following the sentencing, the Sikh Federation (UK) issued a statement saying the judge showed courage in giving Ashby a life term, describing it as "matching" his crimes.

"The severe racist element of the attack has been highlighted in the court proceedings and sends a strong signal to all racists that carry out violent attacks," said lead executive Dabinderjit Singh.

Sukhvinder Kaur, chair of trustees at Sikh Women's Aid, said the sentence "sent a strong message to people who have the views and attitudes of this perpetrator, so we absolutely welcome that".

The attack had sent "absolute terror" running through "the entire community across the West Midlands", she said.

She added: "We can't separate this rape from the toxic narratives around migration, immigration, migrant communities. When we look at communities, race and religion, all of that played into the hatred that this perpetrator held against a community."

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