A man arrested on a COVID ward in Scotland is an American rape suspect who fled the U.S. and faked his own death, a court ruled Friday. Nicholas Rossi, who is wanted in connection with a string of sex attacks on three women in Utah, had insisted he was a man called “Arthur Knight.” Scottish Sheriff Norman McFadyen cited “fingerprint, photographic and tattoo evidence” along with evidence of name changes in his ruling that “on the balance of probabilities” that “Knight” was in fact Rossi. Authorities allege that Rossi fled the U.S. and tried to fool prosecutors into thinking he was dead, even trying to hold a bogus memorial service for himself. In court, Rossi even said that the distinctive tattoos on his biceps which matched those on images released by Interpol during their hunt for Rossi were not there before he arrived in hospital in Scotland, claiming that he “awoke” to find he had been inked while unconscious. Extradition proceedings are likely to begin in 2023.
