A teenage girl was attacked from behind by a man in Oxford this morning.

The 16-year-old was tonight in hospital with a head wound after she was grabbed in an alleyway connecting Van Dieman’s Lane and Bartholomew Road, Cowley, shortly before 11am.

She managed to fight the man off, but fell against a wall and hit her head.

She ran to a nearby house, where the owner called an ambulance.

Dc Mark Stalder appealed for anyone with information to call police on 08458 505505, adding: “This was a nasty attack.”