A retired priest could be extradited from Canada to Scotland to face child abuse allegations.

Father Robert MacKenzie has been reported to the Crown Office in relation to historic incidents.

The 84-year-old taught at Fort Augustus Abbey School in Inverness-shire but is now living in Canada.

The Crown Office has been granted a petition warrant for the arrest of Father MacKenzie.

It is the first step in the legal process which could lead to an extradition warrant being granted to bring him to Scotland to face the allegations.

A spokesman said: "The procurator fiscal received a report concerning a now 84-year-old male, in connection with alleged historic offences.

"No court dates have been scheduled at this time."

Fort Augustus Abbey, a Catholic boarding school, has been at the centre of several claims of child abuse spanning three decades from the 1950s.

The institution, which was run by the Benedictine Order of monks and is no longer open, is among those being looked into under the Scottish child abuse inquiry headed up by chairwoman Lady Smith.