A FATHER says he feels let down by the police after they dismissed an allegation that his young daughter had been sexually harassed.

The Penketh man contacted police on September 17 when his eight-year-old daughter - who cannot be named for legal reasons - said that a 16-year-old boy had approached her and told her that he was going to have sex with her.

Police requested a video interview with the young girl, but subsequently decided that the matter would not be pursued, as a criminal offence had not been committed.

Cheshire Police spokesman Jacqui Hanson confirmed that the teenager, who also lives in the Penketh area, had been referred to social services, but that his behaviour, while inappropriate, was not criminal.

The girl's father told the Guardian: "It makes me angry that a lad can make these distasteful suggestions towards a young girl. Even if a crime has not been committed, his intention is quite clear and I'm sure there will be far more serious problems with him in the future.

"I won't stand for my daughter being subjected to comments like that, but what can parents do? I feel quite helpless, but I hope that people in Penketh will now be on their guard."

He continued: "I think she was ultimately relieved to tell us what had happened. I had noticed that she was subdued and acting quieter than normal."

The concerned father says he was told by a police officer that an inquiry into the matter could not go ahead because of 'budget problems' - a comment which he found surprising after the Guardian reported last year's £3.6 million underspend by Cheshire Constabulary.

However, the police have denied this, saying that the decision not to proceed with a video interview "had absolutely nothing to do with budgets".