Young, broke and living in danger

Samantha Goodall, 21, shares a flat with her half sister Emma Davies in Camberwell. But since she was assaulted on 11 January she has been recuperating with parents Lesley and Stuart Nicholls at their family home in a small village in Rutland. Ms Goodall, a part-time secretary and singer, said:

"Until I moved to London, I'd always lived in very nice areas. I was brought up in a classy part of Epsom. It was five minutes from the racecourse, and very lush and rural - I wasn't aware of any crime.

"We used to come up to London for concerts and I couldn't wait to move up there. I had a romantic idea of London with red buses and Piccadilly Circus, and it all seemed very glamorous and exciting.

"When I was 18, I started a training course with the English National Opera, and moved in with a girl who had a lovely house in Shepherd's Bush. I felt secure and surrounded by decent people, although I'd always drive around as I'm very safety conscious.

"My sister, Emma, wanted to get on the property ladder, so we started looking for a place together. By all accounts, Camberwell seemed to be up and coming, and the estate agents told us that in the next year it would be a trendy young place, with lots of bars - like another Clapham.

"We found a ground floor Victorian flat, and in August 2000 moved in. I soon realised that it wasn't as safe as we'd thought. In the streets, people would barge right into me, with no apology. Local children were aggressive, too, and a schoolgirl once demanded 70p from me. I was so intimidated, I gave it to her.

"To get to the buses or the trains, you had to pass near large and threatening estates - so I'd drive most of the time, instead. I always tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. I'd never totter around in high heels, and I'd always walk with my bag securely under my arm. I toned down my accent, so I wouldn't be noticed and picked on.

"On 11 January I was late for an acting class in Blackheath. It was 6.20pm and I thought it would be quickest to take the bus to the Tube. I was running for the bus when I stopped for breath on Loughborough Road, a residential street with some gorgeous houses.

"I saw two guys coming towards me but didn't think anything of it. They wore trendy coats with the hoods up, trainers and baggy combat trousers. They were about 6ft tall, in their early twenties, and black. I moved to the left so they could get by - and then, in the split second as we passed, one of them punched me very hard under my right eye. I clasped my face, and started whimpering, "I'm terribly sorry, I'm so sorry." I was so shocked, I thought I must have walked into him - although looking back, I can see the fist coming towards me.

"I saw white, but didn't feel pain straight away. There was a pause for about 4 or 5 seconds, when I couldn't open my eyes, I could taste blood and was staggering around. One of them said, "Sorry lady". Then I fell on the floor, and he kicked me in my back. I went into a ball, and started to wail - then I felt them dragging me across the ground for about four metres, and kick me again. I'd never been so scared in my life, I thought I was going to die. Then they grabbed my bag and ran off towards an estate.

"I could just about see that my white gloves were covered in blood, and that's when it clicked - "Oh my God, I've been attacked." I started to scream and scream.

"But all I could hear were two little boys on the opposite side of the road, laughing and laughing at me. That still haunts me now.

A lovely lady ran up to me, and called the police, and another passerby held me. I was covered in blood, screaming 'this doesn't happen to me, this doesn't happen to me'. I was in shock, repeating it.

"The police arrived, and an ambulance took me to King's College hospital, where they found that my cheekbone was broken in two places. I had scrapes everywhere, a lot of bruising, and I was a shivering, crying wreck.

"On 25 January I had an operation to remove several blood clots from my face, and my right eye is now supported with a wire mesh. They drilled a piece of metal over my cheekbone to make my face look symmetrical.

"I came back to Rutland, and now, physically, I'm healing very well, but psychologically it's going to take a long time, and I'll need counselling. At night I can't sleep properly, I have terrible nightmares and keep the light on. I have flashbacks, and while I used to think I was untouchable, I now feel very vulnerable.

"I will go back to London - as I have to, for my career. I'm determined to make it as a singer - but I'm dreading it, and I don't know if I can stay in Camberwell again.

"They haven't caught the men yet, and although I don't want to say that they've won, I'll never walk alone in the dark again, and I'll only go out where there are lots of people. "In fact, I'll never feel truly safe in London again."