Darwin jockey Sonja Wiseman, who is scheduled to ride in the Darwin Cup on Monday, had her nose broken in three places and two of her teeth knocked out, after being hit with a rock in an alleged attempted carjacking by a group of up to 15 men, it has been reported.

The 31-year-old jockey, who is due to ride Lethal Encounter in Monday’s cup and get married in three weeks, told racing news site Racenet she thought she was going to die in the attack, which happened after she went outside her house in the early hours of Friday morning to get something from her car.

Ms Wiseman told the site she was still having panic attacks from the episode, which allegedly involved a group of between 10 to 15 men surrounding her car, trying to get her out of the vehicle, and hitting her in the face with the rock.

NT Police did not publish a press release about the attack.

In June, the NT Independent reported that sources had confirmed Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet marketing manager Sita Bacher, who gives strategic advice on the “Territory master brand”, had been installed to oversee what crime is reported to the public by the NT Police.

A little over a week later, this publication revealed the NT Police’s director of communications Margaret McKeown was dismissed without explanation.

Darwin jockey Sonja Wiseman’s after the attack.

Ms Wiseman said while she was in the car, all of a sudden, the glass on the passenger side window shattered.

“I looked up to my left and there was a group of 10 to 15 men. I don’t know if they initially knew I was in the car but as soon as I looked up, they all started laughing,” Racenet reported she said.

“I instantly locked my door and tried to get the keys in the ignition. But in my state of freaking out, I then kept turning the ignition even though the car was on.

“We have a manual car and for the life of me I forgot how to use the clutch.

“They were reefing on the driver’s side door trying to get it open. They were saying, ‘we are going to get out of the car you bitch’. I was so terrified.”

She told Racenet her partner, Darwin trainer Tommy Logan, was asleep in the house, and she was forced to try and drive off to get away.

“These men were literally like a pack of coyotes going on a hunt,” Racenet reported she said.

“I was screaming, I knew it was going to be bad. One of the men was circling the car with a metal or timber object.

Ms Wiseman on Thursday night.

“They then smashed me in the face with a rock, broke my nose in three places, cut my lip and smashed my teeth. I tried to drive off the wrong way down the highway, but a group of them blocked me.

“I just kept screaming to the 000 operator and honking my horn. I was saying ‘they are going to kill me’.”

She told Racenet some military barracks security guards heard her car horn honking and dispersed the group, while a neighbour wrapped her bloodied face in a towel, before she was taken to hospital where she spent the night.

Ms Wiseman said she does not know if she will ride in the cup.

“The medical people have given me clearance to ride trackwork on Wednesday, but if my nose bleeds or if I get any pain I won’t be able to ride at the races, they are also worried about an infection,” Racenet reported she said.

“I’m also getting married in three weeks, so I’m pretty upset on a lot of fronts that I have got facial injuries like I have got at the moment.

“But I’m also lucky that I’m alive, I was really fearing the worst when I was trapped in my car. It is crazy to think you are not safe sitting in your car.”