A woman has revealed she's terrified of leaving the house, after she was assaulted by three men while jogging in a park in Essex.
Cait Smith, 23, was out for an evening jog in Castle Park, Colchester, when she was violently attacked by three men who pinned her to the ground.
Cait, an admin assistant, has described the incident as "terrifying" after she was covered in bruises - as well as a black eye - from having her head 'smashed' against the ground.
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Cait fought as hard as she could and eventually managed to run away from the three men.
"It's terrifying that other young people like me should have to live by a different clock out of fear," said Cait.
"But that is what I want other people - not just women, but everyone - to be aware of. I don't want this to happen to anyone else.
"From now on, when I feel able to go out running again, I'll be sticking to busier areas. I run in Castle Park a couple of times a week, and I've never felt threatened down there.
"I normally wear a head torch when I'm running, so I can keep my wits about me. But typically, this was the one occasion where I forgot it.
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"I had stopped running for a moment to change my music on my phone, and I got grabbed from behind - I didn't even see it coming at all.
"I was wrestled to the ground, and one of the men was sat on top of me, while another was holding my head to the floor.
"I've been left with a big lump on my face from where they smashed my head to the ground."
Cait went on to explain there were no other people around to come to her rescue, adding that she "fought as hard as she could" during the ordeal.
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"I'm lucky that I'm quite feisty - I can hold myself in a fight," she said.
"I don't think they were expecting me to fight back - so I just fought as hard as I could and then legged it away from them.
"I don't live that far from the park, so I was able to just get myself back home. But if it was any other person it happened to, maybe someone a bit more vulnerable, they might not have been as lucky as me."
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Cait said that from now on, she will stick to running in the daytime, and in busier areas of the town centre.
She said: "It's not right that women, or anyone, should have to avoid going out at night because of fear that they might be assaulted. Things have to change."
Cait has reported the incident to Essex Police.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS