A MAN who sexually abused a young girl 35 years ago has been brought to justice despite the fact that he is medically unfit to stand trial as he now has dementia.

Graham Summers, 61, was today found by a jury to have committed three offences of gross indecency and two of indecent assault against the eight-year-old child in 1980.

Summers, who was working as a steward at the then Norfolk Gardens Hotel in Hall Ings, Bradford, developed dementia after his victim, now 42, made her complaint to the police in 2013.

She was molested by Summers, then in his late 20s, when she was staying at a house in Little Horton, Bradford.

He bought her purple sandals and a necklace after telling her the abuse was "their secret", Bradford Crown Court heard.

Summers, of Thornaby Drive, Clayton, Bradford, was found by medical specialists to be unfit to stand trial because of memory loss owing to dementia.

But a hearing took place to determine if he "did the acts complained of".

After the jury unanimously agreed that he had, the judge, Recorder Tahir Khan QC, gave Summers an absolute discharge and made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from contacting his victim.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington told the court that Summers called the child into a bedroom on four consecutive evenings. He touched her indecently and made her perform sex acts on him.

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She recalled him saying: "It's our secret and and I'll buy you a present at the weekend when I'm paid."

On the following Saturday, he collected his payslip from the hotel and bought her the shoes and necklace.

"I'd seen some shoes in the town, some little purple sandals that were £35, and there was no way my mum could afford them," she said.

"I wanted those shoes desperately. They were the absolute bee's knees."

The court heard that Summers had no memory of that time and could not engage in the trial process.

He sat outside the courtroom with his carer throughout the day-long hearing.

His lawyer, Tariq Hussain, said Summers had not committed any offences since.

Recorder Khan said the only legal disposals available were a Hospital Order under the Mental Health Act, a supervision order or an absolute discharge.

Summers was not suffering from a treatable psychiatric illness so a Hospital Order was not appropriate.

Mr Hussain said his client could not engage with the probation service for a supervision order.

After the jurors had given their determination, Mr Adlington referred to the case of Greville Janner, who was also found unfit to plead because of dementia.

A decision by director of public prosecutions, Alison Saunders, not to charge him with a string of historic sexual abuse allegations was recently overturned.

Mr Adlington told the court: "Unlike a very high profile case that the members of the jury may be aware of nationally, his (Summers') disability arose after the start of the case."