A YORK mother has told how her normally bright and bubbly daughter had been left subdued, distressed and anxious following an attempted abduction.

The 10-year-old girl was grabbed by a man as she was walking along Garfield Terrace, off Leeman Road, at lunchtime on Monday.

She managed to pull free and run home without physical harm.

But her mother spoke of her concern about the psychological impact.

"She was very, very upset," she said. "Normally, she is such a bright, bubbly child. She just sat here afterwards and never spoke a word.

"Now she is so much on edge. She is terrified to go out and we are taking her to and from school. She is having a packed lunch at school instead of coming home.

"She is looking down every alleyway and is terrified if she sees a man."

The mother said the incident came almost exactly a year after another distressing episode for her daughter, in which she had been walking along Lee-man Road with her father and he had been punched without warning or provo-cation by a drunk.

"She has never quite got over that."

She told how her daughter had come running home after Monday's incident and ran into the house catching her breath. She said: "You're not going to believe what has happened to me!"

She said a man had grabbed her from behind. "I calmed her down and said: 'Tell me exactly what happened'.

"She said she had come out of school and seen this man watching the children.

"She started walking and could hear him following her, getting closer and closer behind her.

"Then he grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her. She managed to break free and he disappeared down a street. He didn't say anything to her. He didn't ut-ter a word."

The mother said she had since heard rumours that at least one, and possibly up to four, convicted sex offenders were living in the Leeman Road area, but without local parents being informed.

She was concerned if paedophiles were being placed in areas with a high per-centage of children living there, and with schools, playgroups and parks in the im-mediate vicinity.

"Who should be protected more, convicted paedophiles or innocent children?" she asked.

She also appealed for people to come forward with any information to help police as they investigate Monday's attempted abduction. Anyone with information should contact York police on 01904 631321.

Police said no one had yet been arrested in connection with the incident, and declined to comment on the rumours about sex offenders living in the area.

Updated: 09:35 Thursday, September 20, 2001