Woman raped and racially abused in her Walsall home by complete stranger, jury told

Ahead of the start of a trial at Birmingham Crown Court defendant John Ashby pleaded not guilty today (April 20) to rape, intentional strangulation, racially aggravated assault, and robbery in relation to the incident which happened in October.

Mr Phil Bradley KC, prosecuting, told the jury: “Unbeknown to her this defendant got on the same bus, initially sitting upstairs, but a short while later he moved to the lower level and that was where she happened to be sitting. A complete stranger to her, this defendant John Ashby was nevertheless interested in her and had already targeted her.

“We know that because within seconds of her getting off the bus in Birmingham Road just after 6.30pm to begin the short walk home, he did the same and then began following her. She had no idea he was doing so and continued to walk home.”

Mr Bradley told the jury the defendant at first continued walking past the property as the woman entered. “However, he quickly about-turned and was captured on CCTV on the driveway off a property at the back of her home. He was doubtless assessing how he could get into her home address.

“Whilst on that driveway he picked up a stick and placed it inside his jacket. A short while later after getting home she went upstairs to change clothes and went into the bathroom. She told the police that while she was doing so, she heard a noise downstairs and had assumed she was home alone and had no reason to lock the door.

“As she rushed to lock it, she was too late and this defendant barged his way in and so her ordeal began. He turned off the light, telling her he was ‘here to have fun’. Despite her screams he told her to undress and he struck her with the stick that he had placed in his jacket and put his hands around her neck to strangle her, and demanded that she get into the bath tub.”

Mr Bradley said the defendant raped the Indian Sikh woman and as he did so he verbally abused her, calling her a “Muslim b****” and referring to himself as her “master”.

The barrister said the defendant was preparing to attack her a second time in a bedroom when she “seized her chance” to go downstairs, but as she tried to flee he dragged her back into the house. Mr Bradley said moments later Ashby fled with items of jewellery and her mobile phone after he appeared to have been “spooked” by a noise outside.

He said that despite being naked and in a distressed state the victim left the property to raise the alarm and a nearby resident came to her aid, resulting in the police arriving at the scene within minutes. He said Ashby, aged 32, of no fixed abode, was found in Perry Barr three days later.

The trial continues.