THE mother of a five-year-old girl who was abducted by a man and locked in a garage has spoken of her disgust after he escaped a prison sentence.

She fears that Daniel Stuart Lowe, 22, who has the mind of a child, will strike again after he was given a three-year community rehabilitation order to tackle his sexual problems, with a condition that he submit to medical treatment, at York Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard that Lowe took the girl away from her street play and started to unbutton her shirt in a nearby garage. When she became distressed, he stopped, walked off and bolted the door shut behind him. Her sister rescued her shortly afterwards.

Lowe, of Scarcroft Hill, York, pleaded guilty to abducting and falsely imprisoning the child on June 19, and two unconnected house burglaries in the South Bank area. He asked for the theft of a pair of knickers to be taken into consideration.

The girl's mother said she feared that his sexual behaviour was getting more and more serious and she did not know what he would do next.

She said: "I do understand what the court is saying, because with a mind like that if he goes to prison the chances are that he will come out more evil.

"But I do think that he should be in some kind of care.

An eyewitness had seen the man playing with the two children shortly before the abduction and did not think he was a threat to them. She knew Lowe as a man who was a "bit slow" and a loner who had no friends.

Police found a press clipping of the abduction in Lowe's bedroom when they arrested him.

"Her parents must have been going out of their minds," said Judge Paul Hoffman.

"Your actual age is 22 but I suspect your mental age is very much younger," the judge told him after reading a psychological report on him. "My main concern is to protect the public from you doing it again."

Locking Lowe up would not do that, so he imposed a three-year community rehabilitation order to tackle his sexual problems with a condition that he submit to medical treatment.

"You plainly do have sexual hang-ups because the main offence has a sexual motivation."

The judge added that as far as he knew the child was not physically or psychologically harmed by her abduction. He called for strict supervision and regular personal reports on Lowe over the next three years.

David Bradshaw, prosecuting, said Lowe stole a handbag in the first burglary and the second house burglary was while on bail for the abduction offence.

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, November 15, 2001