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

The mother of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said her daughter had been suffering nightmares since she was approached by Ian Kirkland on January 2.

Bolton Crown Court was told that 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.

He asked the girl if she wanted to get into the car before exposing himself.

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.

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 girl's 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 that 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.