A MOTHER has spoken out about the lucky escape of her 14-year-old daughter who was a week away from meeting a man she chatted to on the internet.

Lynn Fahy, 42, of Dovedale Avenue, Ingol, Preston, says she dreads to think what could have happened to daughter Vicky had the meeting gone ahead.

Vicky, a year ten pupil at Tulketh Community Sports College, Tag Lane, Preston, was due to meet the man, who claimed to be 18, at the UCI cinema, Preston, on Friday, February 11.

She befriended him about a month ago on the dating website chatroom girlsdateforfree.com which she accessed on computers at school and at Ingol Library,

They exchanged mobile phone numbers, and agreed to meet, but Vicky's 11-year-old sister, Rebecca, told their mother who informed the police.

Mrs Fahy, who has five children, said: "I just felt so angry and upset that somebody had invaded my family.

"We could have been a week away from disaster. Vicky told him she was nearly 15, and he said he was 18.

"I've an open mind about his motivations, I don't know if he was a paedophile.

"But he sent her text messages saying things like 'hi sexy', you don't send messages like that to a 14-year-old girl."

She added that Vicky has never missed a day of school and is on the anti-bullying council. Mrs Fahy praised school staff who, she said, acted immediately when informed.

Headteacher Bill Hill said: "Measures to ensure internet safety for our students include full use of the Lancashire 'grid' which is "smart filtered" and to which schools add daily to the banned list of websites.

"There are no 100 per cent guarantees but we believe in educating young people to make responsible choices."

Community Beat Manager PC Fred Orford, said the situation was being investigated but said the man had not broken the law.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council, which runs Ingol Library, said children under 16 must have their parents consent to use computers and must agree to an acceptable use policy, which includes not entering chat rooms.