A fairground worker came to the rescue of a girl who was being attacked in a Bicester field.
Reports of a spate of attacks on young people in the town over the bank holiday weekend have sparked concerns among parents.
Families have been sharing their experiences after a series of incidents at Kea Field off Ashdene Road.
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A girl was attacked at around 3pm on Sunday, shortly before the opening of the Hatwells funfair on the field.
Her mother later praised a fair worker who stepped in, describing the assault as “absolute vile behaviour from this group of wannabe gangsters”.
Kerry Hatwell, of Hatwells Funfairs, said a worker intervened and the attackers left the area before the victim’s mother and police were called.
She said: “We have been holding the fair on this field for many years and have always been warmly welcomed by the local community.
“We have never had any issues and provide our own security. We obviously liaise with the council as we hire the land from them and would call the police if there was ever a need.
“We have never had any complaints about anything linked to the funfair and this will not alter our plans to hold fairs here in the future.”
Later that night, there were reports of group who appeared to be picking on a young girl and throwing her phone into the road.
A parent reported their son was also assaulted “by a group of kids” on the field the following day.
Ms Hatwell said there had been no further incidents on the field while the funfair traded.
In the weeks before the bank holiday, another mother said her 10‑year‑old daughter was attacked in the park near the Morrisons Daily in Villiers Road.
She said a group of children took her daughter’s bag and threw it around before a woman intervened and stopped them.
And a father said his son was assaulted by a group of about 20 teenagers, with the incident reportedly filmed and shared on social media platform Snapchat.
He said it took two weeks before he was able to send the footage to police. No further action could be taken.
Parents now say they are worried for their children’s safety and have lost confidence in the police, fearing nothing will be done.
Cherwell District Council said parents should continue to report incidents to the police to “generate more intelligence and support their investigations”.
Thames Valley Police and Bicester Town Council failed to respond to a request for comment before publication.
