Man Pleads Guilty to Religiously Aggravated Rape and Assault of Sikh Woman in Walsall

A man has pleaded guilty to the religiously aggravated rape and assault of a Sikh woman in her home in Walsall. He had denied the charges against him, but on Tuesday admitted he was responsible for the attack in October 2025. Ashby was arrested in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham two days after he struck, following the woman as she got off a bus and then into her property, armed with a stick he picked up from the ground. At the opening of the case, the jury heard how Ashby raped the woman - a stranger - in her bathroom. The court was told Ashby subjected her to a tirade of anti-Muslim abuse, wrongly believing her to be of that faith. Prosecutors said that after raping the woman, Ashby instructed her to go into the bedroom and lie on the bed, saying he was there "to have fun" while referring to his private parts as being white British. The court heard the attack only came to an end because Ashby was "evidently spooked by a noise outside" and ran away, taking the victim's jewellery and a mobile phone. The jury was told that that the woman raised the alarm and police arrived within minutes.