A man arrested on suspicion of the racially aggravated sexual assault of an Indian-origin woman in Walsall has been charged with rape and appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday (October 29, 2025).

The West Midlands Police said John Ashby, “who is a white British man aged 32 from Stockland Green”, was charged on Tuesday evening.

The rape charge comes after a woman in her 20s, identified locally as a Sikh student, was attacked in Walsall on Saturday night.

“He was also charged with sexual assault, strangulation, racially aggravated actual bodily harm and robbery,” the police said.

Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer from the West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, who is leading the investigation, said the woman who was the subject of the attack has been informed of the charging decision.

“She is continuing to be supported by our specially-trained officers,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby from the local Walsall Police said his team will continue their patrols and conversations in the neighbourhood, which has been shaken up by the attack.

“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,” said Mr. Dolby.

“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,” he said.

The residents of the quiet, leafy neighbourhood in Walsall had expressed shock earlier this week after the attack over the weekend. U.K. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described it as a “horrific crime”.

“I know the fear that will be felt by the local Sikh community. I’ve sought assurances from the police and local leaders that they are doing all they can to support everyone impacted by this crime,” she said.

On Sunday, the police had released CCTV footage of the suspect, described as a white male in his 30s, after they were called to Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday evening following “concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street”. The arrest of the man, now charged, followed on Monday.

The attack followed the racially aggravated sexual assault of another British Sikh woman in her 20s in nearby Oldbury last month. The West Midlands police are yet to charge anyone in that ongoing investigation.

“The repeated pattern of violence against women in our region, compounded by hate and racial overtones, is deeply disturbing,” said Preet Kaur Gill, British Sikh Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston.

The U.K. Police has issued an urgent appeal to trace a white male suspect after the “racially aggravated” rape of a 20-year-old woman, believed to be of Indian heritage, in northern England.

The West Midlands Police said it was called to the Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday (October 26, 2025) evening following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street. The force released CCTV camera footage of the suspect as part of a public appeal for information and confirmed that they are treating the crime “as a racially aggravated attack”.

“This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the West Midlands Police, said on Sunday (October 27).

“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time,” he said.

“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need,” he said.

The attacker is described as white, in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack. While the police are yet to confirm further details, local community groups have claimed that the victim is a Punjabi woman and expressed concerns as the latest attack comes weeks after the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in the nearby Oldbury area.

“At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer said in his statement.

Specialist officers from the force’s Public Protection Unit, local policing officers, and forensic officers are said to be working to recover CCTV camera footage, speak to witnesses, and identify the suspect.

Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police said his team’s focus is on supporting the investigators in identifying and arresting the attacker.

“Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities. We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns, and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days,” he said.

Sikh Federation U.K, quoted local sources to say that the “young woman who was subject to a racially aggravated rape in Walsall is a Punjabi woman”.

“The attacker apparently broke down the door of the house where she was living… 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,” the organisation said.

The force has made a few arrests before releasing the suspects on bail in their investigation into the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in Oldbury last month.