A Norwich Crown Court jury hearing the trial of a man accused of sexually abusing a girl more than a decade ago has been sent out to consider its verdict.

Shane Vertigan, 49, has gone on trial having denied eight counts of abusing the girl, who did not come forward until August 2016 to make a complaint to Norfolk police.

It is alleged Vertigan, of Whitelands, Fakenham, started sexually abusing the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, when she was 12.

But Vertigan, who is currently employed at a brewery, and previously worked for Norfolk police as a traffic warden, denied ever sexually touching the girl, including kissing her on the mouth and sticking his tongue down her throat.

The jury, which is made up of eight women and four men, was sent out to consider verdicts just before 1pm on Friday (September 6) having heard closing speeches and a summing up from Judge David Goodin.