Mum's warning after flasher strikes

3:30pm Friday 9th May 2008

A MOTHER-of-two from Chippenham believes a serial flasher could be at large after her daughter was confronted by a man outside her home.

Penny Sweeney, 40, of Middlefield Road, said her seven-year-old daughter Molly had been traumatised by the incident last month.

The worried parent now fears the sex pest has struck again after a 12-year-old girl was flashed at by a man in Barken Road, off Hungerdown Lane, at about 2.30pm on Monday.

Police said they are unable to rule out a link between the two incidents.

Mrs Sweeney said the description of the Barken Road flasher matched the one her daughter had given officers last month.

Her daughter Molly had been playing outside with her three-year-old brother Kieran at about 11.30am on Saturday, April 19, when a black man with a shaved head approached them.

Mrs Sweeney said: "Molly came flying into the house and told me that this man had exposed himself to her and her brother.

"She doesn't usually have trouble sleeping but she did for a few nights afterwards."

Mrs Sweeney, who has lived in the area for three years with her husband Michael, said she is scared to let her children play on their own, even in the front garden.

She said: "I heard about the 12-year-old girl being flashed because one of my friends pointed out to me that the man was described in the same way.

"I also heard that one of my daughter's schoolfriends was flashed at earlier this week too."

Mrs Sweeney is convinced it's the same man flashing at children in the area and is worried he is growing in confidence.

She said she was disappointed that the police took a week to respond to her initial complaint.

"I am worried about all the children that walk around this area on their way to the Hardenhuish and Sheldon secondary schools," she said.

"You don't know what this man will do next, he is so blatant and these incidents are happening in the middle of the day."

Sergeant Martin Alvis of Chippenham police said incidents of this nature were responded to very seriously.

He said: "A call like this would have gone through to our emergency control centre and a unit would be tasked to attend immediately.

"We are not ruling out a link between the incident last month and the one this week."

He said both cases were being investigated and it was important for the public to contact police about anything they may have seen.

The man who flashed at the schoolgirl in Barken Road on Monday is described as being black, with a shaved head and a thin build.

He was wearing a grey hooded top and jeans.

Anyone with any information should contact police on 0845 408 7000.

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