A 32-year-old man in the UK has admitted to the rape and religious assault of a Sikh woman inside her home in Walsall, after initially denying the charges during court proceedings.According to the Mirror, John Ashby, who has no fixed address, changed his plea at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, accepting responsibility for the October 2025 attack.The trial had begun the previous day, with the accused contesting the charges before retracting his position in court.Prosecutors explained how the assault occurred after Ashby followed the woman off a bus in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham.Armed with a stick he picked up from the ground, he tracked her to her house and forced entry.Opening the case, prosecutor Phil Bradley QC told the jury that Ashby threatened and assaulted the victim despite her resistance, beat her with a stick and tried to strangle her before forcing her into the bathroom.The court heard that the victim, who did not know Ashby, was raped in her bathroom. During the attack, he directed a range of anti-Muslim abuse at her, including calling her a “bloody Muslim”, despite telling her she was Sikh.
In her account to police, which was later given in court, the woman said the attacker turned off the lights and told her he wanted to “have fun” while continuing the assault.Ashby then ordered the woman into the bedroom, told her to lie on the bed, and she continued to make insulting remarks, prosecutors said. He also turned on hot water and poured it on her, forcing her to say “Glory be to God” during the ordeal.The incident stopped suddenly when Ashby appeared to be disturbed by the noise outside the property.
The accused fled the scene with the victim’s jewelry and mobile phone.The woman was able to alert the authorities shortly after the attack, and police arrived at the scene within minutes. Body-worn camera footage played in court showed her in distress when officers responded.In the days that followed, she identified Ashby as her attacker during an identification parade. He was arrested two days after the incident.Proceedings were briefly disrupted when a man from the public gallery approached the sidewalk and shouted at Ashby. The defendant responded with abuse before the judge sent the jury and adjourned the hearing.
