During an interview with investigators, Doe told campus police investigators: “I was a sex doll for all intents and purposes, which is sad but, unfortunately, something I’m not used to, or something that I haven’t experienced before.”

She also said that she “felt like bait” as the attackers were “like lions around me”, according to records from the school’s disciplinary investigation, obtained by US media.

Social media feeds are filled with women trying to shield the Cornell accuser’s identity by posting videos of themselves under the title “I am Jane Doe”.

As well as seeking to complicate internet searches for her name, the messages of solidarity included clips of women detailing their own experiences of sexual assault.

Efforts to rally round Jane Doe gathered pace after a political commentator vowed to unmask her, arguing it was unfair for her to remain anonymous while the men are publicly named despite not being charged with a crime.

Online sleuths have also tried to locate the addresses of the so-called Cornell Seven, leading to at least one case of mistaken identity.

An active-duty US Marine Corps sergeant who had the same name as one of the men was incorrectly served the woman’s lawsuit, leading to a torrent of abuse and threats, according to the Free Press, external.