Arabic version: رجل يعترف بالذنب في جريمة كراهية دينية ضد امرأة سيخية

A man has pleaded guilty to the religiously aggravated rape and assault of a Sikh woman in her home in Walsall. The defendant, John Ashby, 32, of no fixed address, was on trial at Birmingham Crown Court, where he initially denied the charges but admitted responsibility for the attack that occurred in October 2025.

According to BBC News, Ashby was arrested in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham two days after following the woman from a bus to her residence while armed with a stick he picked up from the ground. The jury heard that Ashby raped the woman, subjecting her to a barrage of anti-Muslim abuse, mistakenly believing her to be of that faith.

During the attack, Ashby instructed the victim to go into the bedroom and lie on the bed, claiming he was there “to have fun,” while making derogatory references to his ethnicity. The assault ended when Ashby fled after being startled by a noise outside, taking the victim’s jewelry and mobile phone with him.

The woman promptly reported the incident to the police, who arrived within minutes. She later identified Ashby as her attacker at an identity parade, leading to his conviction.