A 48-YEAR-OLD man was today cleared by a Bradford Crown Court jury of sexually abusing a young girl more than 35 years ago.

Shabir Haider, of Branby Avenue, East Morton, had denied a total of eight charges of indecent assault, dating between 1977 and 1981.

He was acquitted of all charges by the jury this afternoon following a week long trial.

The court had been told by prosecutor Nick Askins that Mr Haider had been arrested last year after police were alerted by the complainant in 2012.

He denied all the allegations against him when he was interviewed by detectives, the jury was told.

Giving evidence, Mr Haider spoke of his 'complete shock and horror' when he learned he was being accused of sexually abusing a young girl more than 30 years ago when he was himself a child.

Mr Haider said he left school at 15 and went on to work in Holland as a waiter for 18 months.

In 1992, he went to Pakistan for about five years where he supervised the management of land and the building of a villa and a farm to expand his family's property portfolio.

He had been on friendly terms with the woman but he denied ever being sexually attracted to her or hoping to marry her.

He told the jury he had hardly seen her over the past 17 years.

Mr Haider also said he had fallen out with members of his family because he had not received his share of the multi-million pound property portfolio he worked hard to expand while in Pakistan.