The mother of a Sussex schoolgirl who was groomed and abducted by her maths teacher has confirmed her daughter has been offered the chance to meet the man who abused her.

Davina Williams, who has changed her name to protect her daughter's identity, told BBC Radio 5 Live that social workers had made the approach as part of the Government's restorative justice scheme, which gives victims the chance to meet criminals.

Gemma Williams, whose name has also been changed, was groomed by married teacher Jeremy Forrest when she was 15.

Forrest, who was 31 at the time, was jailed for five-and-a-half-years in June 2013 for child abduction and five charges of sexual activity with a child.

Mrs Williams told BBC Radio 5 Live's Adrian Chiles that her daughter had not decided whether she should meet with Forrest and that she was still coming to terms with what had happened to her.

She said: "There is a procedure in the legal system now called restorative justice.

"Every victim does have the opportunity, in the right circumstances and the right situations, (to meet the perpetrators) if it's of benefit to the victim and it will allow them to deal with their ordeal. There is that opportunity if they want to.

"She's 17 now and she'll be 18 in June.

"That will be her decision absolutely. If she ever decides to, that will be under no influence from anyone. That's her choice."

Forrest, who is expected to be released from prison this summer, ran away to Bordeaux, France, with Gemma, who was a pupil at Bishop Bell C of E School in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in September 2012, fearing their sexual relationship was about to be exposed.

The teenager subsequently told The Sun that she had "instigated the relationship" and that she blamed herself for her "true love" being in prison.

In an interview with the newspaper following Forrest's trial and conviction at Lewes Crown Court she said that she intended to visit and write to her former teacher in prison, and hoped that they would marry and start a family together upon his release.

Mrs Williams told BBC Radio 5 live this morning that her daughter was in control of whatever happens next.

She said: "As a parent, you protect as much as you can as children and you teach the best you possibly can to give them the best start in life.

"When they are adults, you have to allow them to lead their own life. You don't have any control.

"I will always be here. I will always be her mum whatever happens.

"When a child has been groomed, it can take months, it can take years for them to accept that this has happened to them.

"You can't force them, you can't make them, they have to do it their own time. While they go through that process they have to find a way to cope with it."

Mrs Williams has also written a book, The Runaway Schoolgirl, about the family's ordeal.

In it, the mother-of-five described how she feared her daughter may be dead after she vanished from the family home.

She said she blamed herself after failing to spot clues about the teenager's illicit relationship with Forrest and said that she "felt like the worst mum in the world".