A former Scots football coach and kit man charged with a child sex offence has been remanded in prison for his own safety.

Jim McCafferty's defence solicitor said he had been instructed not to apply for bail and there was a safety issue.

Former Celtic, Hibernian and Falkirk kit man McCafferty, 70, was involved in football in Scotland and Ireland from the 1980s and was arrested in Belfast on Tuesday by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) after walking into a police station.

He was charged with engaging in sexual activity with a child in Northern Ireland aged 13-16 between December 2011 and December 2014 and appeared before district judge Liam McNally in Belfast's city centre Laganside Courthouse.

The defendant wore glasses and walked into the dock using a mobility aid. He spoke only to confirm he understood the charges.

McCafferty, originally from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, but more recently living in South Belfast, is accused of sexually touching a boy aged under 16.

He was remanded in custody to reappear via video link on January 5.