Racist Predator Admits Raping Sikh Woman in Religious Attack
A racist predator has pleaded guilty to the horrific rape of a Sikh woman whom he mistakenly believed to be Muslim during a religiously motivated assault in her own home. John Ashby, aged 32, dramatically changed his plea midway through his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, admitting to rape, intentional strangulation, religiously aggravated assault, and robbery against the woman in Walsall, West Midlands, in October of last year.
Stalking and Violent Break-In
Ashby first spotted the woman on a bus and stalked her back to her residence. Upon arrival, he armed himself with a stick, forcibly entered the property, and subjected her to a brutal and prolonged assault. Opening the case for the prosecution on Monday, Phil Bradley KC detailed how Ashby racially and religiously abused her throughout the attack, repeatedly calling her a f***ing Muslim b**** and declaring himself a British master.
Chilling CCTV footage captured the victim's screams during the ordeal, which was played to the court. She immediately informed the first responding officers, stating, He called me a f***ing Muslim b****. I said I am not Muslim, I am Sikh. He was saying that he was a British master.
Dramatic Court Confrontation
Ashby's plea change followed a dramatic day in court where he was angrily confronted in the dock by a member of the Sikh community. As the jury viewed the victim's police video interview, Ashby was heard muttering bulls***, prompting the elderly man from the public gallery to approach the dock, call him a nonce, and demand he sort your s*** out before being escorted out by the usher.
Mr Justice Pepperall praised the usher's prompt response, dismissed the jury for an early lunch, and barred the man from re-entering the courtroom. The trial was again halted briefly in the afternoon when Ashby's barrister, Michelle Heeley KC, indicated he wished to speak with her. After a 30-minute break, Ashby returned and pleaded guilty to all four charges.
Horrific Details of the Assault
The court heard that Ashby raped the woman in her bathroom before forcing her into the bedroom. When she attempted to flee through the front door, he caught and dragged her back inside. He declared he was here to have fun, struck her with the stick, strangled her, and during the sexual assault, ordered her to say hallelujah as he poured water over her.
Ashby eventually fled after being spooked by a noise outside, which the victim believed was her partner, stealing some of her jewellery and a mobile phone. His DNA was retrieved from an intimate swab, fingerprints were found on a vape left at the scene, and his DNA was also identified on a toothbrush he used in the bathroom.
Investigation and Arrest
Ashby was arrested in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham two days after the attack and was subsequently identified by the victim in a police lineup. When booked into custody, he remarked, you never see any English men in Perry Barr anymore, and largely answered no comment to police questions, except to inquire why the victim wasn't wearing a hijab when shown her photograph.
The prosecution established that Ashby had targeted the woman after boarding the same bus in Walsall town centre around 6:15 PM. CCTV evidence showed him following her off the bus, assessing her home, and retrieving a stick before breaking in. The victim, thinking it was a housemate, tried to lock the bathroom door but was too late as Ashby barged in, beginning her nightmare.
Sentencing and Future Implications
Mr Justice Pepperall has scheduled sentencing for Friday, noting that breaking into a woman's house and committing offences based on her presumed religion makes you a very dangerous individual, and indicating that a life sentence is under consideration. Ashby now faces the possibility of life imprisonment for his heinous crimes, which have left the victim traumatized and highlighted severe issues of religiously motivated violence.
