Man who raped Sikh woman in her home during racist attack is jailed for life
A sex attacker who raped a Sikh woman in a religiously aggravated attack has been jailed for at least 14 years.
John Ashby shouted racist and anti-Muslim abuse as he beat the victim with a stick after following him off the bus and into his home, the hearing at Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Jurors were told the 32-year-old man raped the woman, a stranger to him, while telling her he was his “English master”.
Ashby, of no fixed address, changed his plea on the second day of his trial to plead guilty to charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault.
Prosecutor Phil Bradley KC told the hearing Ashby followed the woman on foot and entered her property in the West Midlands in October last year.
Mr Bradley told jurors that Ashby forced his way into the bathroom despite her screams, tried to strangle her and “racially and religiously abused” her throughout her ordeal.
Sentencing on Friday, High Court judge Mr Justice Pepperall told Ashby that comments made during the attack “reveal that you are an extremely unpleasant racist and Islamophobic”.
The judge added: “You raped this woman after entering her home uninvited.
“You held her against her will by sexually and physically assaulting her for at least 24 minutes.”
After sentencing, the judge addressed the victim and her partner sitting in the public gallery and said: “I have nothing but admiration for your courage. I hope that with time, love and support you can rebuild your lives.”
During the rape, the court heard Ashby, who later tested positive for cocaine use, said his private parts were white and British.
The sentencing hearing was told Ashby had 10 previous convictions for 18 offenses and had a history of mental illness linked to drug use.
She was homeless at the time of the rape and had been discharged from psychiatric care three days earlier without any support package after it was determined she was no longer psychotic.
In a statement following the sentencing, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Ashby was linked to the attack through DNA evidence and fingerprints found at the scene.
He was also chosen by the victim at the ID parade.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Rav Dhillon of the CPS said: “This was a deeply disturbing attack motivated by religious hatred and carried out against an innocent woman in her own home – she had a right to be there and feel safe.
“John Ashby targeted a complete stranger, subjected him to prolonged violence and religious abuse, and traumatized him.
“The CPS worked closely with West Midlands Police to present a solid case based on CCTV footage, DNA evidence and witness statements.
“The fact that Ashby initially denied these charges before changing his plea midway through the trial reflects the strength of the evidence against him.
“We invited the court to consider the hostility to religion shown during this crime as an aggravating factor. No one should be subjected to violence and hatred because of their past, perceived or otherwise.
“Our thoughts are with the victim who demonstrated extraordinary bravery and we hope today’s sentence brings him some measure of justice.”
