Oxford Student's Bruised 'Selfie' Raises £12,000 for Rape Victims

A brave student who took a "selfie" of her injured face as an act of defiance against the man who violently attacked her in a nightclub has raised more than £12,000 for charity.

Jeanne Marie Ryan posted the graphic picture after she was punched in the face seven times after confronting a man who groped her while dancing at Plush Lounge in Park End Street, Oxford.

She suffered a broken nose and fractured cheekbone.

The 29-year-old decided to take her own stand against violence and within a week of posting her picture she surpassed her £100 target and raised more than £12,000 for a rape centre in Oxford.

The DPhil student, who is reading Education at Oxford University, said: "I was really, really mad. I thought I just needed to do something about this.

"I wanted to help women who go through this sort of thing. I get very angry with guys like this.

"I'm just incredibly impressed. It has just made me feel a lot better that something good can come out of this. I wasn't expecting this at all.

"I'm trying to channel my rage into something constructive, so I'm raising money for the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre."

Recalling the attack she said: "He was expecting me to back down and cry and when I didn't, he just got more and more angry."

She was then punched outside the club, causing her to trip down some steps.

"I was hoping that someone would pull him off me. But when I stood back up, he hit me another four or five times."

A spokesperson for the Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre, which works with more than 350 women, girls and families who are the victims of sexual assault each year, said: "We're overwhelmed by the response to the campaign and would like to give huge thanks to Jeanne Marie for sharing her experience in such a brave way."