A 30-year-old hotel worker has appeared in court charged with stalking her Catholic parish priest.

Marcelo Lucanova was accused that between February and October this year at St Mary's RC Church in Portree on Skye "and elsewhere in Scotland" she engaged in a course of conduct which caused Father William MacLean fear or alarm.

She repeatedly sent him e-mail messages, repeatedly attended at his house adjacent to the church and repeatedly parked her car in the church car park, all after being requested not to.

The charge further alleges she went to the workplace of the priest's doctor brother at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, and hand delivered a letter relating to Father MacLean.

Defence lawyer Duncan Burd told Sheriff Richard Davidson his client,formerly of the Broadford Hotel, Skye, but now living at nearby, Burnside,Torrin, pleaded not guilty and a trial was fixed for February 16.

The sheriff told Lucanova her conditions of bail were that she not approach the priest or his church leading up to her trial.

The case was continued until yesterday from a month ago to allow a psychiatric report to be carried out on Lucanova.

Father MacLean is understood to be the only Catholic priest on the predominantly Protestant island of Skye.