A suspected rapist who apparently faked his own death called a convicted child sex offender to the witness box in his extradition case.
He also told court proceedings he can’t raise his arms – despite doing so twice.
US authorities claim Nicholas Rossi is a fugitive who went on the run to evade serious sex charges.
He insists he is Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan who has never been to America, and that he is a victim of mistaken identity.
Last November, however, a Scottish court ruled that he was the suspect American authorities have been attempting to track down.
Rossi was first arrested in December 2021 at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where he had been receiving care for COVID.
As the extradition proceedings draw to a close, the 35-year-old called a fellow prison inmate in Edinburgh as a witness.
William King, 59, who was convicted of molesting three children, said Rossi had been treated “abysmally” in the Scottish jail.
King claimed he heard prison nurses shouting that Rossi was not suffering from poor health.
According to King, they reportedly said: “You can get up. You can walk. Get up. You don’t need oxygen.”
Giving evidence at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, Rossi claimed he is not able to raise his arms above his head because he is so unwell.
But in court on Wednesday, Rossi raised his hand on two occasions in order to attract the attention of his defence agent, Mungo Bovey KC.
He also said he is not paralysed but claimed his leg muscles have been so badly atrophied he is unable to walk or support himself.
On Wednesday, the prison GP testified there is no medical reason for Rossi to use a wheelchair.
The extradition hearing continues.
