London: A man arrested on suspicion of the racially aggravated sexual assault of an Indian-origin woman in UK has been charged with rape and appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

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 the Park Hall area of 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 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 of Park Hall in Walsall had expressed shock earlier this week after the attack over the weekend. UK 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.