Evil ba$tard and I am sure the Asian lads will get him in prison. That could have been a Pakistani girl.
Racist stalked woman home then raped her because he 'thought she was Muslim'
John Ashby, 32, followed the victim off a bus and pushed into her home with a stick in Walsall, the West Midlands, believing she was Muslim
An "Islamophobe" who represents an "extreme danger to women" has been handed a life sentence for the religiously aggravated rape and abuse of a Sikh woman.
John Ashby, 32, tailed the victim as she got off a bus and barged into her home armed with a stick in Walsall, the West Midlands, in October. Throughout the "deeply disturbing attack", he unleashed a torrent of Islamophobic abuse at the woman, mistakenly assuming she was Muslim, the court was told.
Handing down sentence at Birmingham Crown Court with a minimum term of 14 years behind bars on Friday, Mr Justice Pepperall branded Ashby a "deeply unpleasant racist and Islamophobe". "You post an extreme danger to women and no reliable way to say how long you remain a danger," the judge stated.
Ashby, of no fixed address, reversed his pleas and admitted guilt on the second day of his trial at the same court on Tuesday. Prosecutor Phil Bradley KC informed jurors: "Despite her screams, he told her to take her clothes off, he struck her with the stick, and he put his hands around her neck to strangle her and demanded that she climb into the bathtub. Throughout the attack he racially and religiously abused her."
John Ashby has admitted raping a Sikh woman(Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)
The court heard extracts from "harrowing" body-worn police footage that showed the young woman being comforted by a female officer. She said her attacker had called her a "bloody Muslim b****" and that she had been raped inside a bathroom by an intruder armed with a piece of wood, who claimed to be a "British master". Witnesses described the woman as screaming in distress following the attack.
In a video interview played to the court, the woman told police: "He had a stick in his hand. I said 'who are you' and I started screaming. He switched off the light. He said 'I just want fun with you'. He said 'you are a f****** Muslim bitch, I said I am not a Muslim, I am a Sikh.", reports the Mirror.
The assault only ceased when Ashby was "spooked by a noise outside" and fled the scene, taking the victim's jewellery and a mobile phone, according to the prosecution.
Victim says she struggles to recognise herself after attack
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she "felt violated" within her own home and had suffered panic attacks in the aftermath, relying on antidepressants and sleeping medication "to cope with everyday life".
She said: "Before life was great, I was happy and doing well in my job. I was enjoying life. I had plans for the future." She further revealed that she and her partner had been due to marry in January. "My life has drastically changed. I feel lost, I struggle to recognise myself. I'm still hyper-aware of every noise I'm hearing... everything makes me jump, I'm constantly on edge," the statement said, with the victim visibly distressed as it was read out.
The court also heard a victim impact statement from the woman's partner, detailing how he too has been plagued by anxiety attacks following the assault. "Seeing her struggle to cope has been unbearable at times," he said.
Man got up and swore at Ashby as distressing video interview was played to court
As the video interview—in which the woman recounted the attack to officers—was shown to jurors on Tuesday, a man rose from the public gallery, approached the glass-fronted dock and directed foul language at Ashby, shouting: "You need to sort your s**t out."
Ashby hit back, telling the man to "get the f*** out of my face" and also yelled at another member of the public who stayed seated in the gallery.
Roughly an hour following the confrontation, Ashby requested to speak with his barrister and altered his pleas.
The 32-year-old has 10 prior convictions, comprising two for violence, one for carrying an offensive weapon and seven for property-related offences.
After sentencing Ashby, the judge turned to the victim and thanked her for her bravery. "You have my admiration for that," he said, expressing hope that she and her partner can rebuild their lives.
Speaking after the sentencing, Rav Dhillon, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), described the attack as "deeply disturbing", stating it was fuelled by religious hatred.
She noted that the assault was carried out against an innocent woman inside her own home "where she had every right to be and feel safe".
"John Ashby targeted a complete strange, subjected her to prolonged violence and religiously motivated abuse, and left her traumatised," she added.
John Ashby, 32, followed the victim off a bus and pushed into her home with a stick in Walsall, the West Midlands, believing she was Muslim
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