A Bradford teacher accused of indecently assaulting a pupil during lessons has walked free from Court.

Andrew Jobbings, 52, was unanimously cleared by a jury yesterday of four allegations of indecent assault after a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

During the six-day trial, Jobbings was alleged to have singled out the boy for attention and deliberately indecently assaulted him on a number of occasions.

Dr Jobbings, of West Avenue, Baildon, said he would help the boy with his work and might have touched him accidentally but he rejected any claims that it was deliberate.

After the verdict, Alison Beard, a regional official for Dr Jobbing's union, the NASUWT, said: "Dr Jobbings is clearly delighted at the verdict of the jury.

"He, through me, expresses his thanks for the support of the many friends and colleagues, in particular those who have been prepared to give evidence on his behalf. He wishes now to be left alone to get on with his life."

Dr Jobbings' school, which cannot be named for legal reasons, released a statement after the verdict saying its main priority was to support the complainant.

It said Dr Jobbings - who is still suspended on full pay - would now face an internal disciplinary hearing, which had been put on hold pending the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.

"The past 12 months have been extremely difficult for all those involved in this distressing case," the statement read.

"Now that (the court case) has been concluded, our internal consideration of the matter can be resumed. In the meantime the member of staff concerned remains suspended from duty.

Ian Davey, of the NASUWT's Bradford branch, said the union would support Dr Jobbings throughout any disciplinary hearing. "I hope the school will now accept him back - if he wants to go back. Hopefully his career is not finished and the governors will reinstate him."

Mr Davey said the NASUWT will soon start a campaign calling for anonymity for teachers who were the subject of allegations, and all local schools would be leafleted.

He said 1,782 allegations were made against NASUWT members across the country over the last few years, and in 1,686 of those cases no grounds were discovered for prosecution.