Life Sentence for Man Who Attacked Sikh Woman
A man who raped a Sikh woman in her home while subjecting her to a tirade of religiously aggravated abuse has been handed a life sentence.
During the attack in Walsall, John Ashby beat the woman, who is in her 20s, with a stick and shouted anti-Muslim abuse, mistakenly believing she was Muslim.
At 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 ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years in prison.
Details of the Attack and Trial
The trial began on Monday and concluded on Tuesday when Ashby admitted his guilt. The court heard that in October 2025, Ashby followed the victim, a stranger, as she got off a bus.
After the woman reached her home, Ashby entered the property without her knowledge, armed with a two-foot stick he had picked up from the ground.
He admitted charges including rape, robbery, intentional strangulation, and religiously aggravated assault.
Judge's Remarks and Police Interview
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Pepperall said Ashby, who has no fixed address, held the woman against her will "as you sexually and physically assaulted her for at least 24 minutes".
The judge referenced Ashby's arrest in Perry Barr, Birmingham, two days after the attack. When booked into a police station, Ashby remarked,
"you never see any Englishmen in Perry Barr any more"
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."
Prosecution Account of the Assault
During the prosecution's opening, the court heard that Ashby barged into the victim's bathroom, forced her to remove her clothes, and declared himself a "British master".
He put his hands around her neck to strangle her and demanded she climb into the bathtub.
Prosecutor Phil Bradley KC stated,
"He turned on the hot water tap and began pouring water over her, telling her to say 'hallelujah' as he did so."
After raping the woman, Ashby instructed her to go into the bedroom and lie on the bed, repeating that he was there "to have fun" and referring to his private parts as being white British.
The attack ended when Ashby was "evidently spooked by a noise outside" and fled, taking the victim's jewellery and mobile phone.
Victim's Statement and Court Reaction
The victim attended the sentencing hearing and appeared emotional at times, supported by friends.
In a personal statement read by a barrister, she 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."
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