Photos: Grand-daughter of High Court Judge sexually harassed & injured at Notting Hill Carnival

These are the horrific injuries suffered by a high-flying student who told a man to stop groping her at the Notting Hill Carnival.

Mary Brandon, 22, said she was enjoying the festivities with friends on Monday when a strange man in the crowd grabbed her backside.

When he ignored her pleas for him to stop, she said she pushed him away – but instead of leaving he punched her hard in the face.

Horrified passers-by called paramedics and she was taken to hospital where she spent nine hours being treated for a battered eye socket. 

Yesterday Miss Brandon, who is the granddaughter of a life peer and High Court judge, uploaded photographs of her injuries to the internet to raise awareness of violence towards women.

The images went viral after friends of the Leeds University student shared them on social media.

She wrote on Facebook: ‘I pushed him away, exercising my right to tell a man to stop touching my body without my permission, so he took a swing at me and punched me in the face.

‘Carnival is supposed to be about community and good vibes. I wanted to have a good time but instead I spent nine hours in A&E because of this coward.’

Miss Brandon said she hoped the photographs would act as a deterrent to other men, and said anyone who thought such behaviour was acceptable was ‘not welcome’ at the carnival.

 ‘A woman should be able to leave the house without fear of being sexually assaulted,’ she added.

Maybe it’d be safer to just ignore it when someone invades your space and body.

‘But I can honestly say I will always stand up to someone who thinks they can get away with this behaviour and I’d take a punch again from this loser or any other loser who thinks it’s OK to treat women like this.’

The attack is thought to have happened at 5.30pm in Westbourne Park Road, West London, as the annual Caribbean festival was in full swing.  

Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were investigating but had not yet made any arrests. More than 250 people were arrested at this year’s carnival.

Miss Brandon, who is studying for an English degree, is the granddaughter of the late Henry Vivian Brandon, Baron Brandon of Oakbrook. He served as a judge in the 1970s and 1980s, and was made a life peer in 1981.

Yesterday, her mother Amelia, 59, said: ‘I’m proud of her. If people don’t speak out about violence like this, it might add to the problem.

‘I hope that the police catch the person who did this. There must have been lots of CCTV around and people taking video and photos. Someone must have caught him somewhere.

‘It’s awful and it’s not in tune with the atmosphere of the carnival.’