A twisted intercourse offender launched a world hate marketing campaign in opposition to a lady who claimed she was sexually abused by singer Bob Dylan.
American fugitive Nicholas Rossi – who hid in Scotland to keep away from rape expenses – revealed her id on a vile web site he created after tricking her with a faux id.
Victims and alleged victims of intercourse crime often have their anonymity protected – however sick Rossi boasted about having a “world unique” in revealing who she was.
An investigation by the Sunday Mail has uncovered how the 34-year-old is accountable for the controversial web site which Police Scotland have been urged to examine by the US girl’s authorized group.
It comes as deluded Rossi is ready for a proper extradition listening to at Edinburgh Sheriff Court docket on Friday.
US prosecutors are anticipated to verify he needs to be returned to American to be placed on trial for allegedly raping a lady in Utah in 2008.
Sandy Brindley, the chief govt of Rape Disaster Scotland, stated: “Figuring out potential victims of sexual abuse is totally unacceptable.
“The very least somebody in these circumstances ought to be capable of anticipate is that their anonymity can be revered.
“Final week, the Scottish Authorities launched a session on introducing a authorized proper to anonymity for anybody reporting sexual crime,
recognising simply how essential that is for individuals to really feel secure to return ahead and report their experiences.”
Rossi – a Rhode Island native who faked his personal loss of life within the US in 2020 after he had fled to the UK – has put ahead wild claims that he's an harmless Irish-born man known as “Arthur Knight”.
However proof uncovered by this newspaper has demonstrated how that's not the case.
We’ve instructed how he’s used a number of names and accents and scams whereas making his means by way of the UK to keep away from detection.
He can be recognized by scarring on his face and tattoos.
However it's whereas utilizing a few of these identities – together with Knight – that Rossi posted the abusive content material concerning the girl who alleges she was sexually abused by Dylan within the 60s, aged 12.
The legendary US folks singer has strongly denied the allegations which first emerged final August from the girl who has been recognized in courtroom paperwork solely as “JC”.
The case remains to be be pursued by the alleged sufferer within the US courts. We're not naming Rossi’s web site to guard her id. Attorneys for the girl within the US stated they spent two months final yr making an attempt to trace down who was accountable for the web site however solely discovered it was Rossi after being approached by the Sunday Mail final week.
That they had dropped their hunt in September when details about their consumer stopped being posted.
This was the identical time that Rossi fell significantly unwell with Covid-19 .
He ended up up in Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth College Hospital the place he was arrested by police appearing on a world arrest warrant for the alleged rape.
The girl’s authorized group instructed the Sunday Mail how they have been conned by phonecalls, emails and hyperlinks to faux identities utilized by Rossi. New York-based lawyer Pete Gleason stated: “My consumer felt re-victimised by being outed because the sufferer of an alleged sexual abuse.
“Whoever known as my workplace, trying to create a false narrative, did so with the intent to shift the main focus away from my consumer’s critical allegations.”
One of many faux identities was an “Adam Smith”, which Rossi used to name the authorized group from a UK cell quantity.
The Sunday Mail was in a position to set up that it's the similar cell quantity Rossi utilized in 2020 in a earlier fraud, when he scammed $40,000 out of a Canadian TV meals chef known as Nafsika Antypas.
Posing as an “Adam Smith”, he falsely claimed his mom was additionally an alleged sufferer of Dylan to get the authorized group speaking about their case earlier than posting a recording of it on his web site.
Rossi additionally used the identify to cellphone the sufferer to have interaction her in dialog concerning the allegations after which posted a recording and transcript on his website.
Rossi additionally makes use of the faux ID Professor Alistair Jones, which is a reputation signed off in an abusive e-mail – from an id hiding e-mail server – despatched to the sufferer and her authorized group.
Her lawyer’s investigation may solely discover one Professor Alistair Jones within the UK, who works at a college in Leicester.
The Sunday Mail contacted the revered affiliate professor who stated he had by no means heard of Rossi.
An extra faux hyperlink is to an English comic and YouTube star known as Alex Belfield.
It’s understood Rossi cloned the id of Belfield’s web site to counsel he was concerned.
The Sunday Mail spoke to the comedian who stated he had been focused utilizing comparable strategies previously and had by no means heard of Rossi.
It’s seemingly he picked these two people at random. Rossi’s web site was picked up by hundreds of followers on social media and worldwide chat discussion board, Reddit.
On the rented flat which Rossi shares with spouse Miranda Knight within the west finish of Glasgow, he confirmed he was the proprietor and writer of the controversial web site and had been posting below Arthur Knight.
Requested about figuring out an alleged sufferer of a intercourse crime, with out her consent, he stated: “I had her permission and if I didn't, I might not have performed it.
“She waived her anonymity, I requested her and she or he stated sure.”
Rossi additionally claimed to the Sunday Mail that he obtained in contact with Dylan’s administration concerning the claims he was publishing.
The girl’s authorized group stated no consent was ever given.
Hours after we spoke to Rossi on Friday, his web site was taken down.
Gleason stated: “If this web site was certainly created by a recognized intercourse offender, that particular person and anybody who supported
this nefarious endeavour needs to be criminally investigated. I might hope that the native authorities provoke a full prison investigation.”
The intercourse offender is known to have fled to the UK in 2017 earlier than faking his personal loss of life in America in February 2020 – across the similar time he married Miranda in Bristol.
They moved to Glasgow final yr earlier than he was arrested in December then extradition proceedings began in January this yr.
He was granted bail to his flat in Glasgow the place police make common visits.
On the full listening to in Edinburgh on Friday, US prosecutors are anticipated to supply DNA proof which confirms the person needed for rape in Utah is the person who now calls himself Arthur Knight.
The US authorities need him for the alleged rape of a 21-year-old ex-girlfriend in Orem, Utah, in September 2008.
The FBI additionally had a warrant for his arrest on expenses of defrauding his foster dad, taking out bank cards in his identify and working up money owed of greater than £146,000.
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