he grew up in foster care here in rhode island. he has passed away from a long battle with cancer. nicholas alahverdian was 32. can't say this enough, how bizarre this next story is. yeah, as we've been telling you, authorities say - a rhode island man faked his own death and then i hid out in scotland. nicholas rossi has gone by a variety of names over the years, one being nicholas alahverdian. he told me, "he is a dangerous man. "he's wanted in numerous states." then later on, i find out that he's alive. i said, "i don't believe it." i was like, "wow." a court in scotland has ruled that a man who claimed - he was a victim of mistaken identity is the suspect - in a series of sex crimes in the united states. - mr rossi. i'm not mr rossi at all.

ok, then. that's not arthur knight. and you were always absolutely certain it was him? 100%. i was the whistle blower. can you get out of the way? give him a bit of assistance... i've known nick 22 years. i know him better than anybody. do you at this moment in time still claim you're arthur knight? organ plays i'm born and raised in rhode island. i've been a priest 27 years. i am kind of a known entity as the spokesman for the catholic church at the state house. that was where you first came into contact with

nicholas ala hverdian? yes, so nicholas was a page. my interaction with him over those years was to say, "hello, how are you?" that's about it. church choir sings the next was, it was reported in the news media here that he had died. and i remembered him. and then i would say it was a few months after that story came out that i received a phone call. she said her name was, i believe, louise, that she was nicholas' wife... bells ring ..that he had died... ..and would i ever consider having a mass in his memory? and then as i was reflecting on that, i received a phone call from a detective in the rhode island state police who said, "father, i understand that you're having a memorial mass for nicholas alahverdian. he isn't really dead. he's faked his own death."

also asked the detective, i said, "well, his wife, widow, called me." he said, "well, that's not the widow. "that was actually him." the priest wasn't the only one getting calls. i ended up getting contacted by his so—called wife, so... do you think it was a genuine woman on the other end of the phone? to the best of my knowledge, it was... ..it was a woman. it was a woman. accent? english. and she would just basically go on about the memorial service and tell me how much nicholas loved me, and that's all he ever talked about. and whoever this person was knew a lot about me. nicholas alahverdian was born in 1987 in the state of rhode island. one of three children, his mother, diana, divorced his father, jack, in 1990.

in 1996, she remarried, this time to a part—time engelbert humperdinck impersonator called david rossi. michael, just tell me your relationship with nicholas. nicholas is my nephew. he's my brotherjack's son. it was tough when my brother and his wife at the time divorced. i had no contact with any of them for many, many years. so, like, 15 years, i guess. where does "rossi" come from? rossi is the stepfather's name. he adopted nicholas and nicholas' siblings. the regret is that myself, my family, were never contacted when he was put into dcyf care. whatever has happened to him and the type of person he has changed into could have been avoided by simply saying, "hey, do you want to take these children in?"

and i would have. and i think things would have changed. as a young teenager, he was staying in different shelters and group homes run by the dcyf — the department of children, youth and families... ..a state—run agency responsible for child welfare. during the day, he volunteered at the state house. at the time, brian coogan was a local politician. well, he kind of weaselled his way into... ..into yourface, like, "hey, i'm nick alahverdian. "you know, i'm in dcyf custody," he would tell us. he would come with these bruises and scrapes and cuts on him, you know, whether it's face, or he would lift up his shirt, show us his arm, he'd have cuts. and one time he showed his side, you know, he said one kid tried to stab him.

i get a phone call from him one day. he's down the courthouse, that he had to see the chief judge, jeremiahjeremiah. he called me very frantic, very upset. "can you come down here and adopt me? the state of rhode island's trying to get rid of me because i'm exposing dcyf." and i was like, "whoa, i don't even know what you're talking about, but let's go see the chiefjudge. we'll work it all out." the judge leans in. it was at his desk. he goes, "rep, what are you really here for? you're really not going to adopt this kid, are you?" i said, "yeah, we'll take him." he goes, "i can't let you adopt him." and i said, "why not?" and the judge said, "you really don't know what's going on, do you?" isaid, "no." he said, "this kid is a very, very troubled kid." to begin with, his experience of the care system was limited to his home state of rhode island. but later, nicholas was moved to out—of—state facilities, firstly in nebraska, in the us midwest, and then to florida. he was sent from place to place, from state to state.

he was physically abused, mentally abused. um, went through some beatings and tough times, just tough times in general. these are the stories that he told me later. do you believe them? i do. in 2011, nicholas alahverdian attempted to sue all those he says were involved in his care. he came back with a vengeance. he started suing the state of rhode island, the governor, the speaker of the house... ..in federal court. every day you were beaten? every day in florida, . every day in nebraska, every day in rhode island. this is 12 news now at six. target 12 investigator tim white is here now with the latest developments. we did a lot of reporting on his multiple lawsuits... nicholas alahverdian of rhode island... i he alleged physical abuse. he alleged sexual abuse, and, of course, made the claim that the liability fell

on the agency for not properly protecting him. again, the agency denied that. they said they followed all the proper protocols but in the end decided to reach a settlement with the plaintiff, with nicholas alahverdian, to put it to bed. i was sent out of state... the lawsuit brought money, but also a degree of fame. the pageboy who grew up in state care returning to the state house as a child welfare campaigner. ..that these facilities are dangerous. - she says, "i'll confirm december third." so you're going to win on tuesday? of course. a cop by trade, ray hull is a state politician who worked closely with nicholas alahverdian. he was the type of individual that, when he got ahold of you, he stayed with you, much like a pit bull. a lot of pit bulls, you know, they lock onto you and they don't let go. you say he was tenacious. did you ever see a temper? yeah, yeah, yeah.

and ijust attributed it to his advocacy. nicholas on recording: don't yell at me. i didn't do anything! woman: i'm not yelling at you. yeah, you are! i met nick at church. i had recentlyjust converted to the latter day saint church. let me see your phone, please. kathryn mumbles why are you treating me this way? - and how did your relationship develop from there? it developed very quickly. we were sitting on the couch watching tv and he just turns to me and says, "we should get married." "what?" like, we've only known each other for about six months. give me your phone. he screams: stop ignoring me! i knew this was rushed. he broke me down and we got married without telling anybody.

and that was the next day where he first hit me, right after we were married. nicholas married kathryn heckendorn in dayton, ohio, a place he knew. after leaving care, he'd lived there for a while with his foster parents. the marriage lasted seven months. how bad did things get for you? he liked things his way... ..and if he didn't get his way, he would... ..have a temper, get violent, even with strangers. always threatening, like, lawsuits, or, "do you know who i am? you know what i can do to you?" and... ..yeah, his voice, when he would get angry, it will always. . .stay with me. a month into their marriage,

nicholas was arrested for domestic violence. the following year, a court granted kathryn a divorce, the judge accusing her husband of gross neglect of duty and cruelty. out! let me out! well, the recording helped a lot in court. and also the fact that nick never showed up. the divorce itself took well over a year. they never knew where to serve him cos he had fled. did you have any sense of his past life and what he'd done? i slowly figured stuff out. it wasn't until after we were married he told me that he was a registered sex offender. i start talking to this detective after nick was arrested. he told me, "he is a dangerous man. he's wanted in numerous states."

so i actually met nicholas rossi in 2008. we met on myspace. he messaged me. mary was still a teenager when she met nicholas for lunch on this college campus in dayton. afterwards, he offered to walk her to class. he was almost like a drjekyll—mr hyde kind of type. he just... he keeps trying to kiss me and i'm not into it. during that point, somebody comes down into the stairway and they see him on top of me. i went to the police and i filed a complaint. he did get found guilty of public indecency and a sexual imposition charge. there was a fine. there was some jail time, but it was suspended. and then he had to register as a sex offender for 15 years. what happened on that college campus in january 2008 would have lasting implications.

a man suspected in a sexual. assault case in utah years ago is now in police custody in scotland tonight... . the evidence gathered when rossi assaulted mary would provide a breakthrough for prosecutors investigating an alleged rape in the state of utah. this case sat cold in utah from 2008 until about 2019, when we entered the evidence from a rape kit that had sat on the shelf into the database. and that allowed us to get a hit on a man named nicholas rossi. nicholas rossi has gone by a variety of names over the years, one being nicholas alahverdian. now, according to... rossi's utah connections are explained by his foster parents' faith. salt lake city is the headquarters of the mormon church. the allegation is that in september 2008, nine months after the sinclair college assault, he attacked

a former girlfriend. as the authorities in utah were pulling the case against rossi together, back in rhode island, phones were starting to ring. "rep, how are you?" i said, "how are you, nicholas?" "i'm in france," or europe somewhere. i think he said france first. i said, "what's going on?" "well, i had to leave the country." i get another call. he's still in europe. he's ill now at this point. maybe two weeks after that, he's really ill. and he... this is the last time i spoke to him. "it's nick." i said, "yeah, i know, nick, it's you." but he has a raspy voice. he goes, "i'm dying. i'm dying." i said, "nick, you're not dying. cockroaches don't die." radio: local news and information i on wpro, providence. nicholas alahverdian, he grew up in foster care here, here in rhode island. he has passed away from a long battle with cancer. nicholas alahverdian was 32.

an obituary that appeared online claimed nicholas alahverdian had been cremated and his ashes scattered at sea. his final words... at first i was happy. and then i was angry, very angry that he was never held accountable. and then... ..i laughed because all within a second ifeel all this. and i'm like, "he's not dead." michael alahverdian had no reason to doubt his nephew was dead until the day he buried his brotherjack. i go to his funeral, bury him. i get home, and on the news is that nicholas was found alive. and i'm like, "wait a minute, is this a dream or a nightmare?" these two things happening together, same day. proceed. then later on, ifind

out nick is alive. he's in glasgow. is that right? i said, "i don't believe it." i was like, "wow." this is the man the american authorities want to extradite to face the allegations in utah. i just... yeah. i'll be here and i can hold you. just don't fall over. he says he needs the wheelchair and the oxygen tank as he recovers from covid.

so i have to hold his full weight. right. do you see? yeah, we see. don't. .. he pants arthur knight was arrested in december 2021 in a glasgow hospital ward. stop! please stop! the courthouse theatrics were a feature of the months that followed. he took every opportunity to tell anyone who'd listen he was an innocent victim of mistaken identity. we need to address what happened in court today. it violates the... i'm the one asking the questions. mr rossi! i'm not mr rossi at all. ok, then. your oxygen mask is not connected. tell me a little bit about your background, arthur. he tells me he's an orphan

who escaped the irish care system and sold books in piccadilly circus. marriage to miranda came in 2020... we got married in bristol. ..a decade after they first met, he claims. and while there's no birth certificate among his pile of documents, there is a wedding certificate accompanied by a special marriage licence from the archbishop of canterbury. i'm not nicholas rossi. the couple say they moved to glasgow after leaving bristol in 2021. the us authorities say that the story that you've just told me is a load of rubbish and that you're nicholas rossi. the truth, according to the us authorities, is that nicholas rossi left america in 2017 and flew

initially to dublin. police records show that in the period leading up to his departure, he was being investigated for id theft and credit card fraud worth $200,000 after his foster parents accused him of betraying them in the worst possible way. injune that year, he's in england. these photos were taken during a brief relationship that began online and ended with alleged behaviour that led essex police to investigate a rape claim. are you a rapist? 11 months after his arrest and facing a second rape allegation in utah, an edinburgh sheriff was asked to settle the question of identity. in their evidence, the hospital staff that treated arthur knight for covid said they recognised him from the interpol wanted notice

issued for nicholas rossi. it included mug shots taken by a rhode island police force who'd been frequent callers to his apartment around 2010. the photographs from pawtucket also included images of rossi's distinctive tattoos. we heard in court, though, that you were identified by tattoos. is it worth seeing your left forearm? yeah, yeah, but could i...? could i..? i mean, could you just raise up...? and alsojust looking at the oxygen, and we're getting a little bit low as well. taking the oath as arthur knight, he told the court he'd woken from a coma to discover that tattoos had suddenly appeared on his body. he said his fingerprints matched rossi's because an nhs worker had illegally passed them to the prosecutor in utah. court, rise. the sheriff said those claims were implausible and fanciful. i am ultimately satisfied, on

the balance of probabilities, by the evidence of fingerprint, photographic, and tattoo evidence taken together, supported by the evidence of changes of name, that mr knight is indeed nicholas rossi, the person sought for extradition by the united states. and you were always absolutely certain it was him? 100%. i was the whistle blower. i've known nick 22 years. i know him better than anybody. if you show me that one, if that's ok? kathryn: it's frustrating that he still continues - to deny he's nicholas rossi—alahverdian. if he's still pulling that charade, he's the dumb one. there was one picture i saw, he's in red silky pyjamas. those were the same pyjamas he wore when i was with him. you think those were the exact same? the exact... i don't think, i know those were the exact same pjs. do you at this moment in time still claim you're arthur knight? goodbye and thank you.

the months that followed were just as surreal, with rossi held on remand in edinburgh. the utah prosecutor he accused of orchestrating a conspiracy against him bought a castle on the banks of a scottish loch. i charged him with rape after he faked his death, and i did that knowing that i was not charging a dead man. i don't have any ill will towards nicholas rossi. nicholas rossi was a victim of crimes against him before he was a criminal himself. nicholas rossi is the subject of such media attention not because of the crime he committed, but because of the outrageous ways in which he has sought to avoid responsibility for those crimes. steven, steven... no, no. nicholas rossi has gotten off for decades with this kind of behaviour. the message in this case is very much a message to nicholas rossi himself,

and that is, there is nothing that you can do that's going to keep us from coming after you. reporter: this is | the first time you've never said anything. can you guys make way? guys, you need to make room to get him onto the ramp. when the extradition hearing resumed, there were more denials and more attempts at delay. rossi, himself dressed in lawyer's robes, looked on... mr rossi! when the ruling came, his arguments hadn't convinced the sheriff. i conclude that he is as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative. those unfortunate facets of his character have undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case. it follows that i must send the case of the requested person, nicholas rossi, to the scottish ministers for their decision whether he is to be extradited. court will adjourn. any comment, mr rossi? mr rossi, do you accept you lied? nicholas rossi faces serious

charges in the united states. this story still has some way to go, but the scottish chapter is edging closer to the end. how does it feel to have been deceived? it hurts. yeah, it hurts. it hurts that someone that supposedly loves you and cares about you will... ..you know, just go out there and deceive you. like, nick is here in america, but then he's in utah, and then he's in the uk, then he's back in america, then he's back in rhode island, then he's in utah, and then he's in dayton, ohio. he's a jellyfish. he's spineless. he's got long tentacles. and that's what he reminds me of, so when i speak, it'sjust the truth. it's good to know he's not out there hurting someone else... ..taking from someone else, because after... ..our divorce, and i left him, i had no idea where he went.

and i told my mum, "that's a type of person. this isn't his first time and he's not going to stop." i wonder... ..like, who else is he going to hurt? and i think i've carried some guilt with that.

hello. thursday promises to bring a real mix of weather across the uk. for much of wales, parts of the midlands and northern england, we will have a band of cloud bringing some outbreaks of rain at times. to the south of that, it will be dry and warm. to the north of that, a mix of sunshine and showers. and in the far north, in northern scotland, some strong winds. it's all because of an area of low pressure and this dangling frontal system here. this weather front will be very, very slow—moving through the day on thursday, so we will see that band of cloud and rain across wales, parts of the midlands, some parts of northern england. we start the day with gales across the north of scotland and some heavy rain drifting its way across the northern isles. scotland, northern ireland, the far north of england can expect a day of sunny spells and scattered showers. then here's our rain bands, the rainjust waxing and waning across parts of wales, the north midlands, northern england. to the south of that, some spells of sunshine and some warmth, highs of 23, 2a, maybe 25 degrees. now, through thursday night,

our rain band will tend to pep up again and it will also drift northwards across northern england, into northern ireland, southern and central parts of scotland by the end of the night. to the south of that, clear spells, 11 or 12 degrees. to the north of that, actually rather chilly in the north of scotland. but for friday, well, it looks very wet indeed across northern ireland, rain also affecting southern and central parts of scotland. and underneath the cloud, with the outbreaks of rain, temperatures in glasgow only getting to 13 degrees, 1a there in belfast. compare that with 25 in london. some warmth and humidity building down towards the south. into the weekend, this area of low pressure swirling to the south—west of us will try to throw some showers or longer spells of rain in our direction. and with that, some relatively warm and humid air. that said, many places on saturday will see a fair amount of dry weather. a little bit of cloud, some bits and pieces of rain here and there, maybe some thunderstorms

in the channel islands and the south—west of england. but towards the south—east corner, in the sunshine, highs of 26 or 27 degrees. always cooler and fresher further north, but some warmth and humidity for many of us on sunday. with that, some heavy showers and some thunderstorms. that's all from me. bye for now.

live from washington, this is bbc news. rescue workers appeal for more body bags as the death toll from catastrophic flooding climbs in libya. north korea forges stronger co—operation with russia

on military and space as leaders of the two countries conclude a rare summit. and top tech talent head to the us capitol as lawmakers consider regulating artificial intelligence. i'm helena humphrey. it's good to have you with us. at this moment, aid groups and rescue workers are still trying to get to some of the most devastated areas of libya following catastrophic flooding. more than 5,000 people are now known to have died after torrential rain sunday. these satellite images show the scale of the damage after two dams and four bridges in one area collapsed. thousands of people are still missing. earlier, i spoke to international rescue committee's ciaran donnelly. ciaran, thanks for being with us.