Man charged with racially aggravated rape changes plea after being sworn at in court

A man who admitted the religiously aggravated rape of a Sikh woman has been warned he could face life in jail.

John Ashby, 32, admitted charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Ashby, of no fixed abode, asked to see his barrister and changed his pleas around an hour after being sworn at and told to "sort your s*** out" by a member of the public who approached the dock.

The outburst, which the judge described as an "ugly incident", occurred after Ashby began mumbling during the Crown's evidence.

His victim, a Sikh woman who was hit with a stick, had been due to enter the witness box to give evidence against Ashby later on Tuesday.

Opening the case for the Crown on Monday, prosecution KC Phil Bradley said Ashby "targeted" the woman when he saw her on a bus and followed her to her home in Walsall on foot last October.

Adjourning the case for sentence on Friday, Mr Justice Pepperall warned Ashby that he was considering the imposition of a life sentence.

Read more from Sky News:
The Osmonds singer Alan Osmond dies aged 76
Ex-parliament worker arrested under anti-hacking laws

Extracts from "harrowing" body-worn police footage showing the young woman, who was in court to see Ashby change his pleas, had been played to the jury, during which she was comforted by a female officer and said her attacker had called her a "bloody Muslim b****".

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 b****', 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 pointed out by the victim at an identity parade.

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

After Ashby's guilty pleas, the judge said: "It seems to me that a stranger who breaks into a woman's house, who commits these offences and does so expressing hostility to her on the basis of her presumed religion is a dangerous person.

"I don't think I need a report to tell me that.

"I will be considering very carefully whether a life sentence is the right sentence in this case."

Addressing Ashby directly, he said: "As I have already made clear, it seems to me that somebody who commits offences in these circumstances is a dangerous individual.

"The court must have in its mind whether or not a life sentence is the appropriate sentence."

Mr Justice Pepperall praised the victim for her "great bravery" in coming into court, accompanied by her partner, to see Ashby admit his guilt.

Commenting on the inquiry, Rav Dhillon of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "This was a deeply disturbing attack driven by religious hatred, carried out against an innocent woman in her own home, where she would expect to feel safest.

"The CPS worked closely together with West Midlands Police to build a robust case which included CCTV footage, DNA evidence and witness testimony, and the strength of that evidence left the defendant no choice but to plead guilty.

"Our thoughts are with the victim, and we hope this outcome brings her some measure of justice."

(c) Sky News 2026: Man charged with racially aggravated rape changes plea after being sworn at in court