Nicholas Rossi
A Scottish court has ruled that a suspected rapist who has been accused of faking his own death while trying to evade justice can be extradited to the United States to face serious sex charges.
According to The Guardian, Nicholas Rossi, 35, is wanted by authorities in Utah for allegedly raping a woman in 2008. He also faces multiple complaints against him in Rhode Island for alleged domestic violence.
Sheriff Norman McFadyen ruled at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday that there was no impediment to Rossi being extradited. McFadyen’s ruling will now be considered by Scottish ministers.
Rossi says this is a case of mistaken identity and that he is an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight, but a court ruled last November that he is Rossi.
He came to international attention in October 2021 after receiving an Interpol Red Notice, which is a call to law enforcement around the world to arrest him provisionally.
Rossi appeared in court via video connection on Wednesday after claiming he was too sick to attend in person. He has previously appeared in court in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask, but his health difficulties have been called into question.
According to PA Media, as cited by CNN, Barbara Mundweil, Rossi’s medical doctor in the Edinburgh prison where he has been held since 2022, told the court that she had “no major concerns” about his health in general.
Rossi’s lawyer, Mungo Bovey, stated in his closing argument that extradition to the United States would be a “flagrant violation” of his human rights.
Public prosecutor Alan Cameron refuted this assertion, telling the court that there was no proof that Rossi had any circumstances that would prevent his extradition.
(With inputs from agencies)
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