Fugitive Nicholas Rossi is facing extradition to America as he faces two accusations of rape. He is now also being accused of forcing a woman into a bedroom and sexually assaulting her. This third allegation will for part of his extradition case.
The 35-year-old is claiming that he is an Irishman called Arthur Knight. The new charge is an allegation that on the 1st of September 2008, the complainer attended a flat in Utah as her roomate was dating Rossi’s roommate. The complainer states that she had never met Rossi before but he then suddenly pushed or pulled her into a nearby bedroom. The complainer alleges that Rossi then sexually assaulted her in the bedroom.
Rossi was arrested on an international warrant in Glasgow in December 2021. However, he claims that it is a case of mistaken identity. He is currently on remand at HMP Edinburgh pending the result of his extradition proceedings.
He was also convicted at Glasgow Sheriff Court of abusing two female medical staff. He claims that he requires a wheelchair and constant oxygen. However, he was convicted of jumping out of bed and running towards the women before shouting abuse at them.
It is thought that his funding under legal aid could be tens of thousands of pounds. A spokesperson for SLAB stated: “A person applying for legal aid under a false name where the intention is to conceal resources and not reveal a true financial position would be failing to disclose material information relevant to the assessment of eligibility for legal aid. Where we learn that financial information relevant to an application has been concealed, we will investigate, refuse, stop legal aid or recover all in terms of the statutory powers we have.”