Ione Wells: Mother heard Oxford student being assaulted without realising it was her daughter

Cindy Wells said she rushed outside to help a woman being attacked, only to discover it was her daughter Ione

Ione Wells, who is behind the #NotGuilty campaign (Image: Instagram/Ione Wells) (Instagram/Ione Wells)

The mother of an Oxford student who penned an open letter to the teenager who assaulted her said she heard her daughter being attacked without realising it was her.

Ione Wells waived her life-long right to anonymity to address the 17-year-old who allegedly assaulted her as she was walking home after catching the last Tube to Camden, in north London.

Ms Wells, 20, wrote about her ordeal in order to launch the #NotGuilty campaign, which aims to raise awareness that victims are never to blame for the assaults they are subjected to.

Her mother Cindy Wells described hearing what she initially believed to be foxes outside of their family home shortly after she went to bed.

“But I realised when I heard my neighbour saying ‘leave her alone, that’s enough, that’s enough’,” she told The Daily Mail.

“I rushed downstairs and grabbed the phone to dial 999 and scrabbled to open the door because I thought there’s a woman outside who needs help, but I didn’t know it was Ione.

Ione Wells has launched the #NotGuilty campaign to raise awareness of sexual assault (Facebook/Ione Wells)

“I can’t tell you what it was like, it was awful. She was very badly shaken up.

“She’d been kicked a lot and her lip was bleeding, and her face was bruised but I think she’s very, very lucky not to have sustained worse injuries.”

Ms Wells said she was particularly grateful to the policewoman who reassured her daughter that she was in no way to blame for the assault.

“The policewoman to whom I will always be so thankful said: "For God's sake Ione, you have every right to walk on your street and feel safe. Don't in any way feel guilty about what happened to you".

A 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to sexual assault in connection with the incident in court, and will appear in court on 6 May for a sentencing hearing.