A CATHOLIC teenager is suing a Scottish local authority which sent her to live with Protestant foster parents.

In a landmark case, the girl, now 18 and identified only as AR, is demanding a total of £70,000 from Highland Council.

A judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh yesterday gave the case the go-ahead, saying it involved "novel and difficult questions of law".

The woman also complains about being sent to schools which did not meet her needs or provide lessons suitable for her learning disabilities, spelling and hand-writing problems.

She claims the local authority's treatment breached the European Convention on Human Rights - which guarantees the right to family life - because social workers prevented contact with her natural mother.

The woman claims that as a result she suffered anxiety, depression and educational impairment and is still being treated by doctors. She also claims that she finds it hard to get a job and has suffered loss of earnings as a result.

Lord Uist had been asked to rule on a procedural question: whether the claim should be heard by a sheriff or by a judge. In his written ruling he said: "I think that the only appropriate forum for this action is the Court of Session."

The judge continued: "Indeed, I think that the unusual nature of this action qualified it for the Court of Session more than many personal injury actions, some of very low value, which are customarily raised here."

No date has been set for any further hearings.