From stalking to assault: UK man admits raping Sikh woman he mistook for Muslim

A 32-year-old man in the UK has admitted to carrying out a religiously aggravated rape and assault on a Sikh woman inside her home in Walsall, after initially denying the charges during trial proceedings.According to 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 a day earlier, with the defendant contesting the allegations before reversing his position in court.Prosecutors outlined how the assault unfolded after Ashby followed the woman from a bus in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham.Armed with a stick he had picked up from the ground, he tracked her to her residence and forced his way inside.Opening the case, prosecutor Phil Bradley KC told the jury that Ashby threatened and assaulted the victim despite her resistance, striking her with the stick and attempting 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 stream of anti-Muslim abuse at her, including calling her a “bloody Muslim b***h”, despite her telling him she was Sikh.In her account to police, later played in court, the woman said the attacker switched off the lights and told her he wanted to “have fun”, while continuing the assault.Prosecutors said Ashby then ordered the woman into a bedroom and told her to lie on the bed, continuing to make degrading remarks. He also turned on hot water and poured it over her, forcing her to say “hallelujah” during the ordeal.The incident came to an abrupt halt when Ashby appeared to be disturbed by a noise outside the property. He fled the scene, taking jewellery and a mobile phone belonging to the victim.The woman was able to alert authorities shortly after the attack, and police reached the scene within minutes. Body-worn camera footage presented in court showed her in distress as officers responded.In the days that followed, she identified Ashby as her attacker during an identity parade. He had been arrested two days after the incident.Proceedings were briefly disrupted when a man from the public gallery approached the dock and shouted at Ashby. The defendant responded with abuse before the judge sent the jury out and adjourned the hearing.