An anguished mother today warned parents to watch out for their children as police hunted a stalker who threatened to kill her ten-year-old daughter.

York police are hunting a man who first approached the girl in the playground of Hob Moor Junior School, Acomb, after she returned from playing netball at another school two weeks ago.

Today the school's head teacher, Rob Calvert, was sending letters to parents of all 225 pupils at the school, warning them that there could be a man loitering around the premises.

Mr Calvert said: "Obviously we are asking parents to be very vigilant and reinforcing the message to our pupils to never go with strangers."

The schoolgirl's mother, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her ten-year-old, said she has not slept for weeks and now won't let her child go anywhere on her own.

The Acomb woman said her child was terrified and she wanted other parents to be on their guard.

On the first occasion the girl was approached, the man asked her where she was going.

She became suspicious and ran back to the school.

She frantically tried the doors but found them locked. She ran off to a nearby friend's house with the man following her.

There was nobody in at her friend's house and so she carried on running to her home.

When she got there she spotted the man loitering outside a neighbouring house.

She ran inside her home and told her mother, but when her mother went outside the man had gone.

He was described as aged 20-30, skinny, with dark scruffy hair, which was sticking up, a goatee beard and a spotty face. He was wearing a green waist-length jacket, which was ripped on the right-hand pocket, black trousers and black shoes.

The girl saw the man again the next morning, but he did not approach her.

But at about 5.30pm last Friday she was walking home from a friend's house when she saw the man lurking next to railings outside her school.

As she walked past, the man said: "If I see you again I'm going to kill you."

There are 53 other girls of the same age at the school and the mother said they were all at risk.

She said: "My daughter is scared to death and so am I. I'm worried to even let her out and I think other parents need to be careful too, before something awful happens to one of our children.

Her mother added: "She was scared for her life. This man has got to be caught and stopped."

Anyone with information on the man should call police in York on 01904 631321.

Sgt Colin Ventress, at York police station, said: "We are obviously very concerned by these incidents and would ask parents, particularly in the up-coming school holidays, to keep a much closer eye on their children."

Updated: 14:23 Thursday, April 05, 2001