In her victim impact statement the victim said she "felt violated" within her own home.

"I was no longer safe there, and knowing a stranger has been in my home", leaving her feeling extremely unsettled and anxious, the court heard.

Jewellery that had been stolen could be replaced, but "each item had a different memory and told a different story about a part of my life" she said.

Despite moving from the property, she was "always on edge," she added.

"I constantly think someone is in the house, always checking doors and windows, no longer feel comfort in my own space."

She still struggles to sleep, the court heard.

In her statement, the victim went on to say she was slowly starting to adjust to a new country, culture and language but had felt "extremely isolated and vulnerable" since the attack.

"Immediately after the incident, I knew I had to move house. I could not go back into the place I once called home," she added

She said it used to be her "safe place" where she could relax and unwind, which is what she was planning to do that night.

A victim impact statement is now being read to the court.

The attack had "changed every part of my life," the prosecutor reads.

"Before life was great, I was happy and doing well in my job.

"I was enjoying life.

"I had plans for the future."

She added that she and her partner were due to marry in January.

"Now my life is drastically changed. I feel like that version has been stripped away with no explanation," she said.

"I feel lost."

Alex Homer
Reporting from Birmingham Crown Court

Ashby appeared to inhale drugs while inside the victim’s home and when arrested a couple of days after the rape, he tested positive for cocaine.

He has previous convictions, the court heard.

Two were for violence, one for possession of an offensive weapon.

The other seven were property convictions.

The court heard that after raping the woman, Ashby instructed her to go into the bedroom and lie on the bed, saying he was there "to have fun".

He had demanded money from her, but she told him she had no cash.

He repeated a mantra, he had started earlier, "his mantra that he was the 'master'".

He then took her phone and some jewellery, Bradley told the court.

Today's hearing has already set out some of the disturbing details of this case and there are likely to be more to come.

A reminder that if you have been affected by the issues raised, support is available on the BBC Action Line pages.

Alex Homer
Reporting from Birmingham Crown Court

The court heard the defendant was seen on a neighbour’s CCTV 24 minutes after going into the victim's home.

This gave "some measure of the length of the ordeal the victim sustained", Bradley said.

Image source, West Midlands Police

In the video interview played to the trial earlier this week, and referenced this morning by Bradley, the victim described to police how Ashby barged into her home.

She 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’."

During the attack, Ashby had made references to the victim being Muslim.

"I said ‘I am not a Muslim, I am a Sikh'," she added.

The sentencing has resumed, with the victim returning to court, supported by friends and relatives.

The prosecutor has resumed his address telling the court Ashby, carrying the stick, went into the property.

Bradley said the victim, in her bathroom, had locked the door after hearing a noise, "but he pushed and entered".

Referring to the victim's video evidence, which had been played to the trial, he said the woman had described being beaten on the head with a stick.

Commenting after Ashby’s guilty pleas on Tuesday, Rav Dhillon of the Crown Prosecution Service said it was a "deeply disturbing attack driven by religious hatred" and 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."

Speaking at the time, Dhillon said the prosecution's thoughts were with the victim and hoped the outcome would bring her some measure of justice.

Alex Homer
Reporting from Birmingham Crown Court

The victim had been in court to watch the sentencing, but has just been led out feeling very emotional on hearing some of the details.

The judge has halted the hearing and said he would wait to hear if she wanted to rejoin proceedings.

Prosecutor Phil Bradley KC has opened proceedings this morning, setting out the facts of the case.

He said the woman was followed off a bus as she travelled home to Walsall in October.

He had chosen a seat in front of her as they travelled, he told the court.

"He clearly had this woman in mind and already targeted her," Bradley said.

"We know that because within seconds of her getting off the bus... he did likewise.

"In minutes that followed this man followed that woman to her address."

Ashby had changed his pleas on Tuesday shortly before his victim was due to give evidence.

The 32-year-old asked to see his barrister and changed his pleas about an hour after being sworn at by a member of the public who approached the dock.

Mr Justice Pepperall then warned him that he was considering the imposition of a life sentence.

The sentencing has just got under way in courtroom nine at Birmingham Crown Court.

Ashby has been brought into the dock, and presiding judge Justice Edward Pepperall has also entered court.

The victim is also in court to hear the sentencing.

The barristers for the prosecution and defence will make their submissions, referring to sentencing guidelines and aggravating and mitigating features that they believe he should take into account when determining the sentence.

The victim's anonymity is protected by law.

Opening the case against Ashby on Monday, before he changed his plea, prosecutor Phil Bradley KC said the 32-year-old, armed with a stick, had followed the woman off a bus and back to her home in Walsall in October last year.

Image source, PA Media

"Despite her screams, he told her to take her clothes off, he struck her with the stick, and he put his hands around her neck to strangle her and demanded that she climb into the bathtub," Bradley told the court.

"Throughout the attack, he racially and religiously abused her."

The prosecution said the attack only came to an end because Ashby was "evidently spooked by a noise outside" and ran away, taking the victim's jewellery and a mobile phone.

He was arrested in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham two days after the attack, and the court heard that when he was booked into custody he told police "you never see any Englishmen in Perry Barr any more".

There will be distressing details of sexual violence heard throughout today's hearing.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised throughout the day, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line pages.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Ashby was warned by judge Mr Justice Pepperall he was considering a life sentence.

"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," he said.

A life sentence means that if the person is ever released from prison, they will spend their whole life "on licence", meaning if they break their licence conditions they could be returned to prison.

It is different to a whole life order, which is rarely handed down and means the person will never be released from prison.

John Ashby, of no fixed address, was charged by West Midlands Police in connection with an attack on a woman he mistakenly believed was a Muslim in Walsall in October last year.

Image source, West Midlands Police

On Tuesday, the second day of his trial, Ashby admitted charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault.

He is being sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court this morning.

Follow our live updates as we cover the sentencing of John Ashby throughout the day.

The 32-year-old admitted he raped a Sikh woman in her home while subjecting her to a tirade of religiously aggravated abuse.

He had denied the charges against him, but on Tuesday changed his plea and admitted he was responsible for the attack in Walsall in October 2025.

Warning: These live updates are likely to contain distressing details