A Scottish court ruled Wednesday that a rape suspect who has been accused of faking his own death can be extradited to the US to face charges, according to UK news agency PA Media.
Nicholas Rossi, 35, currently faces a string of accusations in separate US states.
On Wednesday, Sheriff Norman McFadyen told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that Rossi’s extradition “would be compatible with the Convention rights within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998,” PA Media reported.
McFadyen told the court that he will next send Rossi’s case to Scottish ministers “for their decision whether he is to be extradited,” according to PA Media.
Rossi has steadfastly insisted that he is a victim of mistaken identity, claiming that he is in fact an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, despite a court ruling otherwise last November.
He came to international attention in October 2021 after he was served an Interpol Red Notice, which is a request to law enforcement worldwide to provisionally arrest a person.
Rossi appeared before court on Wednesday via video link after claiming to be not well enough to attend physically. He has previously attended court in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask, but has faced questions about the veracity of his health issues.
Barbara Mundweil, Rossi’s medical doctor at the Edinburgh prison where he has been held since 2022, told the court that she had “no major concerns” regarding his health generally, PA Media said.
Rossi’s lawyer Mungo Bovey had asserted in his closing speech that Rossi’s extradition to the US would serve as a “flagrant breach” of his human rights.
Public prosecutor Alan Cameron countered this claim, telling the court there was no evidence that Rossi suffered any conditions that would hinder his extradition, according to PA Media.
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