US fugitive Nicholas Rossi denies being serial liar who faked his own death to escape justice

dailyrecord.co.uk:

US fugitive Nicholas Rossi has denied being a serial liar who faked his own death in a bid to escape justice.Rossi, 35, was giving evidence on the fourth day of extradition proceedings against him at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.Under cross examination from advocate depute Alan Cameron, Rossi denied he would “do or say anything” to avoid being extradited.Asked whether he had faked his death, Rossi said: “I have no information on the faking of any death that I’ve committed because I’ve never done that.”But the witness - who claims to be an Irishman called Arthur Knight - alleged he “had the identity of the person who did that to Mr Rossi”Rossi denied faking his need to use a wheelchair and said he’d been framed in a conspiracy led by a US legal figure involved in a “paedophilia, murder and cannibalism”.Rossi is fighting a bid to return him to his US homeland to face charges including rape.He was arrested at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in December 2021 while receiving treatment for Covid-19.Rossi reportedly told US media in December 2019 that he had late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had weeks to live.

Several outlets reported that he had died in February 2020.Mungo Bovey KC, acting for Rossi, asked his client about evidence given on Wednesday by Dr Barbara Mundweil, a GP who cares for inmates at Saughton Prison including the accused.Mr Bovey said Dr Mundweil had “cast doubt” on Rossi’s medical need to use a wheelchair.Rossi replied: “I would say that doubt is unfounded.”He told the court he’d been using a wheelchair for six years and had been “permanently” using one since September 2021.Rossi said a combination of bilateral pneumonia, severe covid, back problems, and muscle atrophy from being in