The mother of a schoolgirl who was abducted and nearly killed by a bus driver, revealed today that her daughter is still too terrified to be alone with men.

Alan Higgins, 42, of Oakworth Road, Keighley, was yesterday convicted by a Bradford Crown Court jury of attempting to murder and indecently assaulting the girl, now aged 14.

He had pleaded guilty to her kidnapping and to a separate charge of assault causing actual bodily harm not related to the incident.

The jury had heard that Higgins had driven the girl from Keighley town centre to a secluded moorland lane where he had threatened her with a screwdriver before attacking her and tried to strangle her when she attempted to escape.

But she had managed to break free from a headlock, ran into the road and summoned help.

Judge Gerald Coles QC adjourned sentencing on Higgins for reports.

But after the case, the mother of the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told how her daughter continues to have nightmares following her ordeal in January last year.

"They were so bad that I had to tell the neighbours that she was having a nightmare and not being beaten up," she said..

"She had to sleep with me for a couple of months and even now she is frightened to be on her own with men.

"If she goes to the dentist or even the hairdresser's and there's a man present, I have to stay with her."

The verdict had come as a tremendous relief to the family, she said.

"It was a very tense and anxious time. We are absolutely delighted - I've been smiling so much I have cramp in my cheeks.''

The girl's mother, who has three other daughters and two sons, said there was such relief in court that even hardened detectives, who had been working on the case for nine months, had tears in their eyes.

"My daughter has been so brave throughout it all. I am very proud of her. She has shown a lot of courage - even after Tuesday when she gave her evidence and was put through hell, she went back to school the next day.''

She said her daughter had been offered counselling but refused to take it up because she still couldn't talk about her ordeal.

"She doesn't like to show her feelings and is very quiet by nature,'' she said.

Her daughter was slowly learning to cope and luckily her schoolwork had not been affected and she had shown a lot of courage going back to school.

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