Edinburgh [Scotland], August 3 : A Scottish Court ruled on Wednesday that a rape suspect accused of faking his own death can be extradited to the US to face charges, CNN reported citing UK news agency PA Media.
Nicholas Rossi, 35, is currently facing a slew of charges in various US states.
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, as per CNN.
According to PA Media, McFadyen told the court that he will send Rossi's case to Scottish ministers "for their decision whether he is to be extradited."
Despite a court verdict last November, Rossi has insisted that he is the victim of mistaken identity, claiming that he is an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight.
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.
According to PA Media, 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, CNN reported.
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