A man with Covid in a UK hospital is a rape suspect on the run in the US who faked his own death

Nicholas Rossi, 35, has spent the last 11 months trying to convince Scottish courts that he is Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland, who has never been to the United States

Nicholas Rossi, 35, has spent the past 11 months trying to scam Scottish courts (

Image: PA)

A man with Covid in a UK hospital is a rape suspect on the run in the US who faked his own death, it has been learned.

Nicholas Rossi, 35, has spent the past 11 months trying to convince Scottish courts that he was Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland who never made it to the United States.

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But on Friday, Edinburgh Sheriff's Court ruled that it was Rossi, a man US authorities are looking for for two allegations of rape and one sexual assault.

Rossi was first arrested in October last year after checking into a hospital in Glasgow with Covid-19.

It is alleged that he faked his own death in the United States and fled to Scotland to escape prosecution.

Nicholas Rossi is wanted in the United States for a rape case where he faked his own death (

Picture:

Duncan McGlynn/REX/Shutterstock)

Medical personnel and police were able to identify him by comparing his tattoos with photos of Rossi on an Interpol Red Notice.

The two arresting officers, Pc Shannon McGill and Pc Jamie Crombie, said they identified the patient after comparing the tattoos on his arms to images of Rossi's tattoos, which had been given on an Interpol Red Notice.

A series of preliminary hearings then took place, during which Rossi fired at least six lawyers and claimed to have been tortured in prison.

The hearings resulted in an extraordinary identification case where he insisted his fingerprints were altered and he was tattooed while unconscious in hospital to look like Rossi .