Rapist who targeted woman because he thought she was Muslim is jailed for life

A rapist who targeted a Sikh woman thinking she was Muslim and racially abused her during a ‘harrowing’ attack in her own home has been jailed for life.

John Ashby, 32, told her he was her ‘British master’ during the assault in Walsall last October.

He had denied charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault and went on trial earlier this week.

But he dramatically changed his plea after someone from the public gallery approached the dock and shouted at him to ‘sort your shit out’.

His victim was due to step into the witness box at Birmingham Crown Court and relive the attack while giving evidence.

 Ashby was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years today.

Opening the case on Monday, prosecutor Phil Bradley KC said Ashby ‘targeted’ the woman when he spotted her on a bus and followed her to her home in Walsall on foot last October.

Extracts from ‘harrowing’ body-worn police footage showing the young woman – who was in court to see Ashby change his pleas – were played to the jury of six men and six women, during which she was comforted by a female officer and said her attacker had called her a ‘bloody Muslim bitch’.

The woman told police she had been raped in a bathroom by the intruder, who claimed to be a ‘British master’.

In a video interview played to the trial, the complainant 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”.’

Prosecutors told the court there could be no doubt that Ashby was the man who attacked the woman, citing DNA evidence, fingerprints found on a vape and the fact he was picked out by the victim at an identity parade.

CCTV footage also placed Ashby near the scene, where he picked up the two-foot long stick.

The outburst that led to Ashby changing his pleas on Tuesday – which the judge described as an ‘ugly incident’ – happened after the defendant appeared to whisper ‘it’s all bullshit’ during the prosecution evidence.

A man believed to be a member of the Sikh community with an interest in the case, who was not known to the victim, then walked calmly to within 3ft of the glass-fronted dock and told Ashby: ‘You’re the bullshit. You need to sort your shit out.’

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