UPDATE: John Ashby, 32, has now pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated rape of Sikh woman in Walsall after following her home and attacking her.
He had denied the charges before admitting the offence during trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
A jury has heard that a Sikh woman was allegedly followed home and raped by a stranger who believed she was Muslim.
John Ashby, 32, is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court accused of rape, intentional strangulation, robbery and religiously aggravated assault. He denies all charges.
Prosecutors told jurors the defendant targeted the woman after following her from a bus in Walsall and assessing how to gain access to her home.
Opening the case, prosecutor Phil Bradley KC said the woman had travelled home after work when Ashby boarded the same bus and later followed her as she walked home.
CCTV footage is said to show him near her address before entering her property.
The court heard the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went upstairs after arriving home before hearing a noise. Prosecutors say Ashby then forced entry into the house and began the attack.
Bradley told the jury the defendant used a stick to assault her, strangled her and forced her into the bathroom.
He said the alleged attack was accompanied by repeated religious abuse, with Ashby calling the woman a “Muslim b****” and making other remarks linked to her perceived faith.
Throughout the incident, prosecutors say he made degrading demands and threats, including instructing her to repeat phrases asserting his control.
The court heard the woman attempted to escape by running downstairs, but was dragged back inside before managing to raise the alarm when neighbours heard her screams.
Jurors were told she was found “understandably hysterical” and in distress when neighbours arrived.
The prosecution alleges Ashby fled the scene but was arrested two days later in Perry Barr.
Forensic evidence presented to the court includes DNA said to match the defendant found on the woman, as well as on items inside her home. The woman also identified Ashby in an identification procedure, the court heard.
Bradley said the case is aggravated by hostility, telling jurors the defendant’s actions were driven by his belief that the victim was Muslim.
Ashby denies all charges. The trial continues.