A YOUNG woman escaped the clutches of a would-be rapist during a 'horrifying' ordeal in a village park.

The 21-year-old was sexually assaulted during an attempted rape in Kidlington, after which police arrested a 16-year-old schoolboy on suspicion of carrying out the attack.

The attack has shocked residents in the area, and the area where it happened is just yards from a children's nursery.

Police said the victim was walking through Park Hill Recreation Ground on Friday night, between 8.30pm and 9.35pm, when she was approached by a 'young male' who tried to rape her.

She managed to escape via an alleyway and was not physically injured.

Thames Valley Police appealed for witnesses yesterday, and revealed a 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and sexual assault.

READ AGAIN: 16-year-old arrested after attempted rape on Friday night

Kidlington county councillor Maurice Billington condemned the attack as 'horrifying.'

He said: "It's quite dark around there and there would have been plenty of opportunity, if he had got control of her, to pull her into the hedges where no-one would see.

"I've never known anything like this to happen in Kidlington before. It must have been scary for her - how dare he do that?"

The attempted rape is the second serious sex attack to happen in the Oxford area in as many weeks, following the sexual assault of a woman in Divinity Road in East Oxford.

In the earlier incident a woman was assaulted inside a home by an intruder, who got in through an unlocked window.

No-one has been arrested for the Divinity Road attack, which happened at about 4am on Saturday, February 9.

READ AGAIN: Divinity Road sex attacker is still on the loose

A force spokesman said police are 'confident there is no link' between the two incidents, however.

He added: "We are confident this was an isolated case and would reassure members of the public that an arrest has been made, and that a full investigation into the incident is taking place."

Park Hill was sunny and quiet when the Oxford Mail visited this afternoon, and there was no remaining police presence in the area.

Oxford Mail:

The field houses a children's playground as well as a nursery, and was unspoilt save for a few scrawls of graffiti on the fencing.

Most residents said they had not heard about what happened and that the park, which is bordered by the residential roads of Benmead Road, Wise Avenue and Mead Way, is a popular shortcut for pedestrians.

One resident who lives nearby, who asked not to be named, branded the attack 'hideous' and 'awful.'

She added: "It's a very quiet area and a lot of residents around here are of pension age.

"The park is used a lot by dog walkers and can be busy at certain times of the day, with lots of people walking about.

"Everybody said to me when I moved here that it's a very safe place, so it is upsetting that something like that has happened. That poor lass."

One dog walker in the park said there is now 'very little' for youths to do in Kidlington, but added that the lack of facilities was 'no excuse' to turn to crime.

Another woman said many residents in the Mead Way area use the park as a shortcut to get to the shops, and that children walk through to get to North Kidlington Primary School in Benmead Road.

ALSO READ: Kidlington primary schools shut due to burst water main

She added: "I have felt safe there, I probably wouldn't now [after what happened]."

One Wise Avenue resident said his family had recently moved to the area from Bicester, where he said there was a bigger problem with youths and antisocial behaviour.

He added: "My partner takes the kids to the park, but not at that time. I am surprised about what happened, considering how close it was."

The park is not lit at night and is accessed on foot via two alleyways - one leading to Mead Way, and another to Wise Avenue.

Police said the victim escaped via the latter, before crossing the road to another alleyway that leads to garages and a car park.

Oxford Mail:

Officers have appealed for witnesses or anybody who has CCTV of the area.

Detective Sergeant Mark Personius, of Banbury Force CID, said: "This was a concerning incident, but I would like to reassure the public that we have made an arrest in connection with it.

"I would like to appeal to anyone who may have seen or heard anything in the park that night to come forward.

"I am also keen to speak to anyone who may have seen the victim leaving the park."

The boy arrested in relation to the attempted rape has been released on bail until March 15.

Anybody with information or CCTV footage can call 101 quoting the reference number 43190049881.