It’s Knight, Knight, Knight!
New farce in ‘mistaken identity’ case as man who claims he is not US fugitive berates OWN lawyer for calling him ‘wrong’ name in court...
AN alleged fugitive wanted for sex crimes in the US shouted at his own lawyer in an extraordinary courtroom outburst yesterday as the solicitor referred to him by another name.
A man alleged to be Nicholas Rossi is said to have faked his death before hiding in Scotland to evade sex charges in Utah.
But the 34-year-old – who appeared in court in a wheelchair and wearing a breathing mask – claims to be Arthur Knight, a victim of mistaken identity who has never been to the United States.
The true identity of the alleged fugitive could be revealed as early as next month, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard.
During yesterday’s hearing, the man was told to ‘be quiet’ after his lawyer described him as ‘Mr Rossi’. The man, who claims to be Arthur Knight, shouted ‘It’s Knight, Knight, Knight’. Court officials warned him and Sheriff Thomas Welsh, QC, told lawyer Becky Houston to refer to the man as ‘my client’.
Miss Houston was speaking during a procedural hearing at a case involving a man who prosecutors say is 34-year-old Nicholas Rossi.
Rossi is wanted in Utah over an allegation of sexual assault and prosecutors in Scotland are acting on behalf of US authorities.
The man was first arrested on December 13 last year after being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
‘Unwilling to discharge date’ Me? I’m not US fugitive... claims alleged US fugitive Mail, January 22, 2022
in Glasgow for urgent treatment for Covid 19. He is said to have checked in using the alias Arthur Knight. He was traced after a tip-off from Interpol while he was on a ventilator in intensive care.
Sheriff Alistair Noble initially remanded the man in custody after a hearing earlier this year.
US law enforcement agencies claim the man faked his own death to flee charges there and came to live in Scotland under an assumed identity.
But the man claims he is Arthur Knight and has never been to the United States.
Yesterday, the man, who spent the short hearing in a wheelchair wearing a mask attached to an oxygen cylinder, also shouted at the clerk of the court for calling him Nicholas Rossi.
He shouted: ‘It’s Arthur Knight and I would appreciate it if you got it right.’ He was told to remove his Fedora-style hat while he sat in the court.
His lawyer Miss Houston then said the issue of the man’s identity would be dealt with at a court hearing next month.
Miss Houston added: ‘I act for Mr Rossi,’ and the man then shouted: ‘It’s Knight, Knight, Knight.’
Miss Houston told the court she had instructed extradition law specialist Fred Mackintosh, QC, to act in the case.
She also told the court she wanted to commission an expert report into the condition of prisons in Utah.
Miss Houston asked for the full hearing, due to be heard next month, to be postponed.
However, Sheriff Welsh told her he wanted Mr Mackintosh and prosecutors to address him on why the case should be postponed. He added: ‘I’m unwilling to discharge the date of the full hearing. That will take place on June 9.’
Sheriff Welsh also arranged for another procedural hearing at the court on May 26 when lawyers will address either the sheriff or a colleague on their preparations.
Rossi reportedly told US media in 2019 that he had latestage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had weeks to live.
An obituary dedicated to him was published online and several outlets reported that Rossi had died in February 2020.