Rapist who faked his own death during trip to America in an attempt to avoid trial is found guilty of ‘horrific’ sexual abuse
A market trader who tried to avoid justice by faking his own death has been found guilty of horrific sexual abuse.
Kim Avis was convicted of 14 chargesafteratwo-weektrialat the High Court in Glasgow.
He preyed on two girls and two women between 2006 and 2017 mainly in Inverness includingathispropertycalled Wolves Den.
Avis–alsoawellknownbuskerinthecity– shouldhaveoriginally stood trial in March 2019. Butthe57-year-oldhadinstead fled to America where he was then reported missing by his son.
He was said to have last been seen going for a swim at Monastery Beach in Carmel, California.
The fugitive was eventually caught 1,300 miles away in Colorado where he was tracked down to a motel after a police stake-out in July 2019.
Avis was taken back to Scotland and now faces a lengthy jail term when he is sentenced next month.
The crimes included raping threeofthevictims,attempting torapeoneofthethree,andsex
ually assaulting the fourth. He was further convicted of failing to appear for the previous trial.
The judge, Lord Sandison, yesterday adjourned sentencing until 11 June in Edinburgh.
As he was led handcuffed to the cells, Avis said: “This is a tragedy for truth and justice.”
The victims testified against Avis,whoclaimedthattheaccusationswerelike“readingfrom a film script”.
One victim, who was just 12 when Avis first attacked, descri bed him as being in a “trance ” during a sex attack.
The victim , now aged 22, told the court : “I remember telling him to snap out of it while tryingtolookathim,buttherewas absolutely nothing there.”
Avis – who later raped the woman in a separate incident
– told the victim there was “something wrong” with him.
The two women Avis abused had been in relationships with him. Both were also raped.
One denied “chucking mud” at Avis in a bid to blacken his name. The woman sobbed as she told jurors: “I am just giving my story.”
She said her abuser had even made false accusations against her on social media, but denied wanting “vengeance” .
The final victim, now 21, was also aged around 12 when Avis first targeted her. Avis was placed on the sex offenders register.