Scots rape suspect is refused bail

A RAPE accused who allegedly failed to appear for trial in Scotland after travelling to the US was yesterday unsuccessful in a bail bid.

Kim Avis, 56, who appeared at the High Court in Glasgow via a video link from prison, was refused bail by judge Lady Stacey.

His defence counsel Lorenzo Alonzi argued Avis, from Inverness, should not be kept on remand during the pandemic when there is no indication of when a trial can be fixed.

Mr Alonzi said: ‘He has already been on remand for almost a year and, since March, has spent 22-and-a-half hours each day locked in his cell.’

Referring to the alleged failure to appear for trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on March 11, last year, Mr Alonzi said: ‘He travelled to the States for a holiday and was involved in an incident. He went for a swim and had difficulty getting to shore.’

Prosecutor Owen Mullan opposed bail and said: ‘When he was reported missing in the US on February 27, last year, after he went in for a swim there were media reports he had faked his own death.

‘The Crown position is his failure to appear was deliberate.’

Lady Stacey told Avis: ‘I’m not prepared to grant bail. During this pandemic, lots of people are in custody for longer.’

Avis faces 25 charges for offences alleged to have taken place between January 1997 and March 2019, mainly at addresses in Inverness.

The accusations include claims he raped three women. Avis denies all the charges against him.