AN angry mother has hit out after a judge chose not to jail a flasher who exposed himself to her teenage daughter.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said her daughter has been suffering nightmares ever since she was approached by Ian Kirkland on January 2.

Kirkland, aged 30, of Blenheim Road, Breightmet, had driven past the 13-year-old several times before stopping in Lansdowne Close, Tonge Moor, and getting out of the car.

"Do you want to get in the car and have some," he asked the youngster, while exposing himself in broad daylight.

Later that afternoon, Kirkland drove up to another group of 12 and 13-year-old girls and again exposed himself. He later admitted two counts of indecent exposure.

On Wednesday a judge at Bolton Crown Court, Recorder Simon Killeen, chose to suspend Kirkland's nine-month jail term in favour of sending him on an intensive sex offender programme.

But the mother, from Tonge Moor, said: "I had to sit my daughter down and tell her the result and she was distraught.

"She had to give statement upon statement to the police and I think it's absolutely appalling.

"After the incident, every time she closed her eyes, she could see him. She still has nightmares and often sleeps with me."

Recorder Killeen had told the hearing Kirkland's behaviour would not be addressed by a jail term and the public would be better served by a community sentence.

"If I take the option of imposing such a sentence that would allow you to be part of an intensive programme of supervision, specifically aimed at sex offenders, there's a real prospect that you might be able to address this bizarre, appalling and vile behaviour before it's too late," he told Kirkland.

However, the ruling was cold comfort for the mother of the girl, now aged 14.

"He's bound to be seen around this area again," she said. "I've another daughter who is seven and I just worry about them."