A NORTH Belfast man is to stand trial for allegedly subjecting a child to a catalogue of sexual abuse, a judge has ordered.
The 58-year-old, who is not being named for legal reasons, faces 35 charges spanning a period of more than 12 years.
He appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court for the first time to have the allegations put to him.
The man is accused of 18 counts of indecent assault on a female, nine offences of sexually assaulting a child, and eight counts of sexual activity with a child.
All of the charges relate to the same alleged victim and cover dates between August 2002 and November 2014.
A preliminary enquiry was held to establish if the man has a case to answer.
He did not call witnesses or give evidence during the brief hearing.
District Judge Fiona Bagnall granted a prosecution application to have the defendant returned for Crown Court trial.
He was released on continuing bail to return for his arraignment on a date to be fixed.
