A court in Scotland on Wednesday approved the extradition of a US fugitive who allegedly faked his own death to escape rape charges in Utah, with the government now set to decide.
Nicholas Rossi, 35, was arrested in 2021 after checking himself into a hospital in Glasgow with Covid-19, where he was served an Interpol notice.
In a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Norman McFadyen ruled Rossi can be extradited and that he will now send the case to Scottish ministers to make the final decision.
It is alleged that Rossi faked his own death in the United States, where he faces accusations of raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Utah in 2008, before fleeing to Scotland.
Medical staff and police were able to identify him by comparing his tattoos with pictures of Rossi on the wanted notice and fingerprints.
The suspect claimed he had been tattooed while comatose in hospital and that his fingerprints had been meddled with.
He also insists that he is an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight.
Rossi, who appeared by videolink in court on Wednesday, is claiming various psychiatric ailments, but McFadyen said he was unable to provide any evidence.
“I conclude that he is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative,” said McFadyen.
“These facets of his character have undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case,” he added.
AFP