British man may have faked death in US
Kim Gordon, who failed to return from a swim, was due to face trial in Edinburgh next week
A man from Scotland who vanished from a beach in California is suspected of staging his own death, as it emerged he was due to face trial, charged with serious offences, back home next week. Kim Gordon, 54, from Inverness, was reported missing after his 17-year-old son claimed his father failed to return from a swim last Monday. The police said suspicions over his disappearance were aroused when discrepancies emerged during two interviews his son gave to officers.
A BRITISH man who vanished from a beach in California is suspected of staging his own death as it emerged he was due to face trial in Scotland next week.
Kim Gordon, 54, from Inverness, was reported missing last Monday after he visited Monastery Beach in Carmel-by-the-sea, 75 miles south of San Jose, with his 17-year-old son.
Police in the US say the boy claimed his father failed to return from a swim. Authorities spent 20 hours searching the coastline for Mr Gordon, who traded jewellery on the streets of Inverness and busked on occasion.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said suspicions over Mr Gordon’s disappearance were aroused when discrepancies reportedly emerged during two separate interviews his son gave to officers. The boy has since flown back to Scotland.
It since emerged Mr Gordon was due to face a High Court trial in Edinburgh next Monday after he was charged with what are understood to be serious offences.
Scotland’s Crown Office confirmed Mr Gordon, who is also known as Kim Vincent and Kem Vincent Avis, faced proceedings but would not provide details of the charges.
The circumstances surrounding the disappearance have led Californian authorities to believe it may have been staged by the 54-year-old “to get out of the charges”.
“The story we were given by the son can’t answer those questions, and that’s where it all starts to fall apart”, said Capt John Thornburg, of the Monterey County Sheriff ’s Office.
He claimed further inquiries revealed Mr Gordon had been charged on 24 counts in Scotland.
“We don’t think he went swimming and got in trouble,” Capt Thornburg told The Californian ebsite. “We think it’s more related to trying to get out of the charges.” Capt Thornburg said Mr Gordon was reported missing at around 7.15pm, which he claimed was “unusual” as it was already dark. He added that the beach was “dangerous”.
Authorities believe Mr Gordon and his son were visiting the US on a twoweek break after flying in to Los Angeles, but that there was “no indication” of how they got to Monterey County. It was also unknown where the pair were staying or if they had use of a vehicle.
Residents in Inverness said Mr Gordon was known in the city for his street trading as well as his charity work, which saw him repeatedly swim the length of Loch Ness in aid of Save The Children.
Mr Gordon was hailed a hero in October 2001 after he stopped a man from jumping to his death from a roof. It is understood he received a certificate at the time from Iain Gray, Labour’s deputy justice minister.
In an interview with the Inverness Courier, Mr Gordon said he was “living the dream” after arriving in Scottish Highlands more than 30 years ago with his horse, Jimmy. He lived in a caravan before building his own home outside the city.
The newspaper reported in 2011 that while Mr Gordon “does not claim to be a saint”, he often gave advice to young people and helped tourists and the elderly around the city centre.
Thomas Prag, a former Liberal Democrat representative on Highland Council, yesterday told The Daily Tele- graph: “He was a well known feature of Inverness High Street. He would wear a denim jacket and jeans and long hair and very often a headband.
“If you ask anybody who knew him in the passing, and many people did, they always said he was a nice chap, always had a smile, always had a chat for somebody.”
Inquiries in the US are continuing and the country’s marshals service is also involved in the case.
Police Scotland declined to comment on the case but said its inquiries were “continuing”.
‘The story we were given by the son can’t answer those questions, and that’s where it all starts to fall apart’