A white man who subjected a Sikh woman to a prolonged racist and sexual assault in her own home has been jailed for life. John Ashby, 32, followed the woman home after seeing her on a bus in Walsall, West Midlands, in October last year, and broke in armed with a metre-long stick.
During the 24-minute ordeal, Ashby wrongly believed the woman was Muslim and repeatedly called her a 'fucking Muslim bitch', even after she told him she was Sikh. He also made references to his whiteness and Britishness, slapping and punching her while saying 'I am the master'. The judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, described Ashby as a 'deeply unpleasant racist and Islamophobe'.
Ashby forced the woman to undress, made her sit in a bath while he poured water over her, and made her repeat the abuse back to him. He also strangled and beat her. Prosecutors said there is no other recorded case in England and Wales of a religiously motivated rape conviction.
Ashby changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial, admitting to rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault. The judge imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 13 and a half years, noting that Ashby was so dangerous that he must serve the full term before being considered for release.
The victim, who has anonymity under law, said in a statement: 'What happened to me has changed every part of my life. I feel lost and I struggle to recognise myself.' She had moved from India two years ago and has since quit her job. Despite her distress, she said she was determined to face her attacker in court.
Senior crown prosecutor Rav Dhillon said Ashby was 'clearly filled with so much hatred that that’s what seems to have motivated him'. The judge praised the victim's bravery, saying he had 'nothing but admiration' for her.
