Second racially motivated sexual assault of Sikh woman shakes UK community

U.K. authorities have charged a 32-year-old Birmingham man with rape and other offenses following what police describe as a racially aggravated attack on a Sikh woman in her 20s in Walsall, the second such incident targeting Sikh women in the region in less than two months.

What happened: Officers responded to Park Hall in Walsall at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 25 after receiving reports of a distressed woman in the street. The victim told police she had been raped and assaulted at a nearby address by someone she had never met. Two days later, police arrested John Ashby, 32, a white British resident of Stockland Green in Birmingham, in the Perry Barr area and charged him with rape, sexual assault, strangulation, racially aggravated actual bodily harm and robbery. Det. Sgt. Ronan Tyrer acknowledged community cooperation after the public appeal, noting the victim “will continue to receive full support from specially trained officers.”

The big picture: The Walsall case is the second racially motivated rape of a Sikh woman in the region since early September, with both victims being young women attacked by strangers. In the Sept. 9 incident along Oldbury’s Tame Road, attackers allegedly told their victim, “You don’t belong in this country, get out.” While police have said the two crimes are being investigated separately, the emerging pattern has left Asian women across the area fearful. Ravita Pannu, a 45-year-old salon owner, expressed her concerns to the BBC: “As a mum, do I want my daughter out and about [right now]? Hell no.”

What authorities and community leaders are saying: Walsall Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby acknowledged the widespread anxiety late last month, saying police “know the fear and concern this attack has caused in our communities.” He also noted having discussions with faith leaders about women’s safety and measures “men can take to make women feel more comfortable.” The fear is reflected in increased call volumes at Sikh Women’s Aid, according to Chair of Trustees Sukhvinder Kaur. “There is a real sense of fear now — this isn’t far-right narratives on the TV, it’s not a social media thing, it is now coming on to our streets,” she told the BBC.