A former employee of a Skipton mortgage company has been cleared of unlawfully obtaining the personal data of clients.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC today recorded a formal not guilty after the prosecution offered no evidence against Keighley man Farid Rafiq.

Mr Rafiq, 37, of View Road, a former employee of Homeloan Management Ltd, pleaded not guilty, at a Bradford Crown Court hearing in March, to unlawfully obtaining personal information about clients of the company, between July 25, 2011, and July 30, 2011, under the Data Protection Act.

A trial had been fixed for this week at Bradford Crown Court, but was then taken out of the list.

Today, prosecutor Caroline Wigin told Judge Durham Hall: “I have had a conference with the expert in the case, at which it was determined no evidence would be offered. I invite Your Honour to enter a formal verdict of not guilty.”