Germaine Greer yesterday blamed "responsible authorities" for failing to prevent an alleged attack on her by a student on Monday.

Speaking for the first time since a 19-year-old female was charged with assault and false imprisonment, the feminist academic and broadcaster said she thought that the incident could have been avoided.

"The police have been wonderful, but everyone else in this case has behaved like a bunch of idiots," she said outside her house in Great Chesterford in Essex.

"They have not understood the gravity of this case. A lot of this could have been avoided, and I am very angry about it; I don't regard myself as a victim here. We had asked for help from people who were supposed to be responsible. But what you get is interference, not help." She declined to specify which agencies she was criticising, but indicated the social services were among them.

She had considerable sympathy with her alleged attacker's circumstances: "Students are under great stress, they are very often disorientated; now they are in debt. All of this means that many are very vulnerable... I am not angry, I am not upset, I am not hurt; I am fine. Someone else is hurt."

Ms Greer said she would not increase the security at her isolated home. "Ever since the Female Eunuch was published there has been an off-chance that some nutter would pick me off somewhere - there has always been that risk. I feel like Caesar: the brave man dies just once, the coward dies many times. I suppose I am a brave woman because I refuse to be afraid."

Police were called to her home on Monday evening after friends who had been invited for dinner heard shouting from inside. The alleged attacker has been given bail on condition she remains at least 15 miles from Ms Greer's house, and is due to appear before magistrates at Harlow in Essex on Thursday.