‘They may not have been able to before - but they need to now’ - Sikh community leaders react to flaw in data that sees racially-aggravated rape reports not logged as hate incidents
Two racially-aggravated rapes that targeted Sikh women in the Black Country rocked communities across the West Midlands - but due to the hate crime regulation data is not gathered on these incidents.
An FOI submitted by the Express & Star to West Midlands Police regarding reports of racially-aggravated rape was refused on the grounds that “rape is not a racially aggravated crime”.
This response was given despite West Midlands Police appealing for information following two instances of racially-aggravated rape in the Black Country last year.
A 32-year-old man named has since been charged with sexual assault, strangulation, racially aggravated actual bodily harm and robbery following an attack on a woman in her 20s in Park Hall, Walsall on October 25, 2025.
Two people, 49-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, were arrested but bailed in relation to a racially-aggravated rape on Tame Road, Oldbury earlier that same month. Police recently stated there had been no further updates.
However, under UK law, a rape is only recorded as a hate incident once it reaches prosecution as it is down to the courts to decide whether they have enough evidence to include separate hate crime charges - but not at the time of recording. Read our full explainer on the law here.
Now, community leaders are asking for change to the way instances are recorded and to ensure sexual violence motivated by hate is recorded as such.
Sukhvinder Kaur, who supports Sikh women who are victims of domestic and sexual violence with Sikh Woman’s Aid in the West Midlands, praised police for how they conducted their investigations but agrees accurate data on these instances is needed.
