A man has been charged with the racially aggravated rape of a Punjabi woman in Walsall, prompting concern among local community members and faith leaders.
The Crown Prosecution Service said 32-year-old John Ashby, of no fixed address, faces one count of rape and sexual assault following the attack in the Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday 25 October. He has also been charged with intentional strangulation, racially aggravated assault causing actual bodily harm, and robbery. Authorities confirmed the victim, a woman in her 20s, did not know her attacker.
West Midlands Police identified Ashby as white and British, and will be appearing before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court later today.
Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby said: “We know the fear and concern this attack has caused in our communities. We continue to speak to people in the community to listen to and understand their concerns.
“Officers have visited faith establishments in Walsall and spoken with local leaders about women’s safety and what measures men can take to make women feel more comfortable.
“We need to continue to maintain those conversations and how we build on women’s safety in the community.”
Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer noted that the victim “has been informed of the charging decision this evening” and “is continuing to be supported by our specially trained officers.”
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The arrest
The arrest came after an urgent investigation into the incident. Police were called to Park Hall just after 7.15pm last Saturday, after reports that a woman was distressed in the street. Officers determined she had been raped and assaulted by a man she did not know.
Police treated the incident as racially aggravated and released CCTV footage of the suspect, appealing to the public for information. The man was later arrested early Monday morning in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham.
“This is a significant development in our investigation,” Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer said, thanking those who provided information following the initial appeal.
Local political figures reacted with alarm. Preet Kaur Gill, Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, posted on X: “It’s a deeply worrying time for the Sikh community following another horrific racially aggravated rape of a young sikh woman in Walsall. the second such case after Oldbury.”
Racially aggravated rapes
The incident has drawn renewed attention to racialised sexual violence in the West Midlands. It follows a similar case in Oldbury, where a Sikh woman in her 20s was reportedly raped in September, which police also described as a racially motivated attack. Two suspects were arrested in that case, a 49-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, as protests and vigils were held by local Sikhs demanding accountability.
The Sikh Federation UK urged police to act swiftly in both cases. The group cited local sources claiming the Walsall victim was a Punjabi woman and warned that “West Midlands Police have now had two racially aggravated rapes of young women in their 20s in the last two months and urgently need to find those responsible.”
Both attacks have raised concern among South Asian communities amid what advocacy groups describe as rising Islamophobia and racially motivated hate crimes across Britain.
Sikhs have increasingly been targeted by individuals who mistake them for Muslims because of shared cultural and physical characteristics, language, or traditional attire.
The case remains under investigation as police continue working with community leaders to address safety and rebuild trust.
