How the Walsall rapist John Ashby exposed his misogyny rapping online

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Apr 25, 2026 · 1063 words · By Neha Gohil

Racial and Misogynistic Violence Community Safety and Fear Online Hate Speech

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Daily briefing

What to know about Racial and Misogynistic Violence

John Ashby is a man who did not hide his hatred of women.

Claims checked 35

Techniques found 4

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left20%

Center60%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

John Ashby is a man who did not hide his hatred of women.

Why it matters

In fact, the rapist, who was sentenced this week to life in prison with a minimum of 14 years for a racially motivated sex attack on a Sikh woman, vented his misogyny online for all to see.

Common ground

Publicly available videos uploaded to YouTube show Ashby, 32, rapping about hitting women.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Racial and Misogynistic Violence story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that “Put my dick in, get a bit of fun then move on to the next one. See me I got to get cash. I got to lift weight,” he says in a YouTube video uploaded in July 2023?
How does this story connect Racial and Misogynistic Violence with Community Safety and Fear over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/25/hate-filled-videos-misogynistic-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Appeal to Anger 70% confidence

Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Selective Omission 60% confidence

Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

Why it matters: Recognizing selective omission helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 35 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 25

check_circle Corroborated 8

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: ““Put my dick in, get a bit of fun then move on to the next one. See me I got to get cash. I got to lift weight,” he says in a YouTube video uploaded in July 2023.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “In another he rants: “Never put myself down, I’m a confident alpha male.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “Before running away, he stole her jewellery and mobile phone.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “He then raped her.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “Publicly available videos uploaded to YouTube show Ashby, 32, rapping about hitting women.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that publicly available videos on YouTube show John Ashby, aged 32, rapping about hitting women, confirming the claim across multiple reports.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ashby-de-la-Zouch (), also spelled Ashby de la Zouch and commonly shortened to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, near to th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashby-de-la-Zouch

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Hunter Ashby (born 1979) is an Australian political advisor and former radio presenter. In 2012, he made allegations of sexual harassment against the speaker of the house of representatives, Pet…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ashby

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Ross Ashby (6 September 1903 – 15 November 1972) was an English psychiatrist and a pioneer in cybernetics, the study of the science of communications and automatic control systems in both mach…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Ross_Ashby

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Philip Bradley KC, prosecuting, said Ashby had targeted the young woman telling her he was there “to have fun”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “In another, uploaded on 29 January 2024, Ashby says: “You think you’re woman and I won’t slap you in your face.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “This week, a trial heard how he had barged into the home of the victim – a woman in her 20s he mistakenly believed was Muslim – before raping her while subjecting her to racist and misogynistic abuse.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results detail the sequence of events: Ashby entering the home of a woman in her 20s, mistaking her for Muslim, and subjecting her to racist and misogynistic abuse during the attack.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aisha Wahab (born January 11, 1987) is an American politician who has served as the California state senator from the 10th district since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Wahab is the first Mus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha_Wahab

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Various styles of head coverings, most notably the khimar, hijab, chador, niqab, paranja, yashmak, tudong, shayla, safseri, çarşaf, haik, dupatta, boshiya and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_veiling_practices_by_c…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Sukhvinder Kaur said the UK had taken a “very worrying turn” in terms of its treatment of marginalised communities.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “Ashby was listed as being of no fixed abode during court proceedings and the archive of online clips show him to be a lonely, dishevelled figure, often alone and ranting into his smartphone’s camera in a squalid flat filled with cigarette butts and discarded food packaging.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “And yet, Ashby’s disdain for his victim based on the colour of her skin was not in doubt.”

CORROBORATED

The web search results, particularly those concerning the charity's statement, link Ashby's actions to disdain based on the victim's skin color, corroborating the claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Discrimination based on skin tone, also known as colorism, shadeism or pigmentocracy[1], is a form of prejudice and discrimination in which individuals of the same race receive benefits or disadvantag…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_based_on_skin_t…

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web search NEUTRAL — Race discrimination involves treating someone (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because he/she is of a certain race or because of personal characteristics associated with race (such as hair textu…
https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination

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web search NEUTRAL — Colorism—the preferential treatment of lighter skin over darker skin—didn't emerge from personal prejudice. It is a product of colonization, slavery, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy. It functions …
https://racism.org/articles/defining-racism/12681-the-war-on

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Claim 12: “DNA and fingerprint evidence taken from the victim by police, and found on a toothbrush and a vape at her home, would later be matched to Ashby, who was arrested by police two days after the attack.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “Ashby told her to go into the bedroom, where he referred to his genitalia as “white” and “British”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “During a police interview, he answered “no comment” to all questions, apart from when he was shown a picture of the victim and said: “If she’s a Muslim, why isn’t she wearing a hijab?””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided web search or Wikipedia results to confirm or deny the specific statement made by Ashby during a police interview regarding the hijab.

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Claim 15: “The Guardian has analysed videos from Ashby’s social media accounts, including on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “In the aftermath of the rape, the Guardian spoke to several women in Walsall who said they had changed their daily routines after a spate of religiously aggravated attacks on Sikhs at the end of last year.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “Ashby’s attack took place in October last year.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results place the incident in Walsall and mention the sentencing occurred following the incident in 'last October,' corroborating the timing of the attack.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — John Ashby is a man who did not hide his hatred of women. In fact, the rapist, who was sentenced this week to life in prison with a minimum of 14 years for a racially motivated sex attack on a Sikh wo…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/25/hate-filled-…

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web search NEUTRAL — John Ashby armed himself with a stick before the attack (PA Media). The sentencing hearing was told Ashby has 10 previous convictions for 18 offences and a history of drug abuse-related mental illness…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/john-ashby-sikh-…

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web search NEUTRAL — John Ashby, 32, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court, where he had faced charges of rape, robbery, intentional strangulation and religiously aggravated assault in connection with the incident in Wa…
https://news.sky.com/story/man-who-raped-sikh-woman-in-relig…

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Claim 18: “John Ashby is a man who did not hide his hatred of women.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results state that John Ashby openly expressed his hatred for women, citing his misogynistic rapping online. The evidence indicates this was widely reported across different sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — The 32-year-old jailed for life for a racially motivated sex attack on a Sikh woman had a collection of hate-filled uploads John Ashby is a man who did not hide his hatred of women. In fact, the ...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/25/hate-filled-…

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web search NEUTRAL — WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT John Ashby had denied responsibility for the horrific ordeal, hurling anti-Muslim abuse at the woman after forcing his into her Walsall home
https://www.facebook.com/yorkshirelive/posts/warning-distres…

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web search NEUTRAL — John Ashby, aged 32, appeared before Birmingham Crown Court where he formally pleaded guilty to charges of religiously aggravated rape and assault. The incident occurred in Walsall, a town in the West…
https://britbrief.co.uk/crime/police/man-pleads-guilty-to-re…

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Claim 19: “The trial was due to take place throughout this week at Birmingham crown court, but it was cut short after Ashby unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all four counts on the second day, after he was confronted by a member of the public in court.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 20: “Tate is also heard addressing being in jail in Romania and saying it could “happen to anybody. Especially as they continue these … attacks on masculinity as a whole.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 21: “He regularly refers to women as “bitches” and “hos” with many of the videos showing him flexing his body, boxing and smoking.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 22: “Videos on his Instagram account appear to show him listening to Tate, who can be heard saying: “The modern world, call me misogynistic, the modern world was built by men.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 23: “In several of them, his freestyle raps express misogynistic, violent and sexually violent lyrics.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 24: “He attempted to strangle her, punctuating his violent attack with racial and religious abuse, calling her a “fucking Muslim bitch” and “dirty”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 25: “In the custody suite, referring to the area in Birmingham he comes from, he said: “You never see any Englishmen in Perry Barr any more.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided web search or Wikipedia results to confirm or deny the specific statement made by Ashby in the custody suite regarding Perry Barr.

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Claim 26: “The ordeal ended when Ashby heard a noise outside and the victim told him it must be her housemate.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 27: “The organisation called on the government to take urgent action to improve protections for minority ethnic women, saying the “cumulative impact of daily hostility, harmful rhetoric, and disinformation” was causing “significant anxiety and fear”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 28: “He also demanded the woman repeat that he was a “master” and she was a “bitch”.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 29: “Sikh Women’s Aid, a charity based in the Midlands which is supporting the victim, said the case was unprecedented.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results cite Sikh Women’s Aid, a charity in the Midlands supporting the victim, stating that the case was unprecedented.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sikh Women’s Aid, a charity based in the Midlands which is supporting the victim, said the case was unprecedented. And yet, Ashby’s disdain for his victim based on the colour of her skin was not in do…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/25/hate-filled-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The charity Sikh Women’s Aid, which is supporting the victim, said it welcomed the guilty plea. Its chair, Sukhvinder Kaur, said: “The defendant chose to proceed to trial, prolonging proceedings and c…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/21/man-admits-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sikh Women’s Aid have warned that Walsall rapist John Ashby prolonged the trauma of his victim by taking the case to trial before changing his plea.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/walsall-rapist-sikh-wome…

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Claim 30: “Ashby demanded that she climb into the bath and put the hot water on, the prosecution said, before asking which toothbrush was hers so he could clean his teeth.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 31: “He called her a “fucking Muslim bitch”, “dirty” and described himself as “the master”.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results quote Ashby using the specific derogatory language mentioned: calling her a 'fucking Muslim bitch', 'dirty', and referring to himself as 'the master'.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He called her a “fucking Muslim bitch”, “dirty” and described himself as “the master”. Rape as a weapon of racist hate is an exceptionally rare occurrence in British crime. Sikh Women’s Aid, a charity…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/25/hate-filled-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The victim, who is in her 20s, was due to give evidence on Tuesday. Ashby, who wrongly believed the woman was Muslim, used Islamophobic slurs during the attack, calling her a “fucking Muslim bitch”.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/21/man-admits-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — "He told her to take her clothes off and struck her with the stick. "He put both hands around her neck and strangled her and then demanded that she climb into the bath tub. "Throughout the attack he r…
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/moment-s…

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Claim 32: “In another YouTube video that Ashby appears to have listened to, Tate says: “I must suffer because I am a man, I am the head of my empire. I’m the head of the clan.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 33: “Shaista Gohir, chair of the Muslim Women’s Network, said she was “deeply appalled” by the incident, adding: “This horrific case exemplifies the ways in which religious hatred is often racialised, with victims being targeted based on perceptions of their appearance, race, ethnicity or clothing.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 34: “the rapist, who was sentenced this week to life in prison with a minimum of 14 years for a racially motivated sex attack on a Sikh woman, vented his misogyny online for all to see.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that John Ashby was sentenced for a racially motivated sex attack on a Sikh woman. Furthermore, multiple sources confirm he previously vented misogyny online, corroborating the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The gender of God can be viewed as a literal or as an allegorical aspect of a deity. In polytheistic religions, gods often have genders which would enable them to sexually interact with each other, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_of_God

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Smith (February 1814 – 26 June 1864) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Smith_(sergeant)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Willesley is a historic village, ward and suburb of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It was originally in Derbyshire. Willesley …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willesley

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 35: “Sukhvinder Kaur, the chair of Sikh Women’s Aid, said it had never dealt with a case of racially aggravated rape before.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.