A British man has avoided jail for being found under a teenage girl's bed after sending her a text message saying "I'm watching you".

Kyle Ravenscroft, 18, was sentenced to a suspended 12 weeks behind bars and given a supervision order after pleading guilty to stalking.

Ravenscroft sent his 16-year-old victim frightening text messages saying he was "in the grounds" of her Chester house, and even threatened to hang himself outside her bedroom window, where she would wake to find him.

The teenage victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was at home with her mother when Ravenscroft sent her a series of messages on July 3.

The texts said he was "standing in the grounds watching her" and he "hoped she would wake up and find him hanging outside", the court heard.

Terrified, she spent the night in her mum's bedroom.

Just after midnight she was sent another startling text which read "I'm in your house."

The prosecutor, Rob Youd said the victim didn't believe the text, but did think he was nearby.

The next morning she returned to her room and was sitting on her bed talking to a friend on the phone when she sensed someone watching her.

"She had the feeling she was being watched and listened to, she checked everything. She checked her wardrobe, behind doors," Youd said.

"She then noticed that all her shoe boxes, normally neatly lined-up under her bed had been moved. She crouched down and saw him hiding under it."

The victim's mum came into the room moments later and yelled for the intruder to leave.

Police later arrested Ravenscroft, but not before he jumped out of a first floor window of his home in an attempt to evade them. He later surrendered after speaking with authorities on the phone.

Ravenscroft, who had no previous convictions, was released on bail but was rearrested after visiting the victim's workplace to hand her a letter.

In addition to his suspended sentence, Ravenscroft has also been ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and has a restraining order against him, forbidding him to contact or go near the girl.