US fugitive Nicholas Rossi claimed girlfriend 'raped him'
He is facing two separate charges of rape in 2008, one in Salt Lake County and one in Utah County.The second day of a trial covering the Salt Lake County assault on a woman, known as MB, is taking place at the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County.However it heard evidence on Tuesday from another woman, KP, who is the complainant in the Utah County case.
The woman, who was 21 at the time, said she met Rossi on social networking site MySpace in August 2008 and they began a short relationship.She said she spent time at Rossi's apartment in Orem, about 40 miles (66km) from Salt Lake City, and sometimes slept there during the day as she had a job working at night.The woman said she had bought a condominium in the city and was paying the mortgage, but that they never spent time there together as she was living with her mother at the time.She told the court on one occasion, she woke up at Rossi's apartment to find he had spent up to $400 (£296) on a computer using her credit card details without permission.She said when she challenged him on that, he said he would pay her back.
'Belittling'
The relationship ended after about four weeks at the start of September 2008, which the woman put down to Rossi's "belittling" of her and suggesting she needed "mental help".She said they remained in contact as friends and shortly afterwards he contacted her to say he had the money to pay her back.The woman said she went to his apartment but Rossi quickly admitted he did not have the money.She said he then began performing a sex act on himself and when she tried to leave, Rossi pulled her clothing down and pinned her to a couch or other piece of furniture before raping her.The woman said she was "distraught" and the encounter lasted about a minute.She said she was concerned Rossi had not used a condom and recalled him telling her it "wasn't a big deal".The woman said she fled the apartment and drove to a friend's house in Provo, Utah, about five miles (8km) away.She reported the incident to police and later an officer arrived at her house to give her the money Rossi owed her.The woman said Rossi later contacted her and suggested that she drop the charges against him as he had paid the money back.
The court also heard from Officer James Thompson, who worked at the Orem Police Department between 2008 and 2018.He said Rossi contacted the department to make a report on 16 September 2008 and that it was assigned to him.He recalled Rossi alleging he was "raped by his girlfriend" and she had made a report that "he had raped her".A voluntary witness statement given by Rossi was read out to the court.In it, Rossi alleged the woman had, on six to eight occasions, "forced him down and kissed him regardless of him saying 'no'."He also claimed the woman would force him to have sexual intercourse and "forcefully engage him into sexual acts" under the guise of "getting her money back".Rossi further alleged the woman would stay at his house for six to nine says at a time even though he had asked her to leave.He claimed the woman would have "her friend" threaten him and said he would "have all his limbs ripped off and thrown into the river".Officer Thompson said that throughout the statement Rossi had denied sexually assaulting anyone.
Distinctive tattoos
Rossi faked his own death in 2020 and was arrested while undergoing treatment for Covid in a hospital in Glasgow in December 2021.Staff recognised his mugshot and distinctive tattoos from an Interpol wanted notice, but Rossi claimed his name was actually Arthur Knight and that he was an Irish-born orphan who had never been to America.He was finally extradited to the US in January 2024, more than a year after a Scottish court had ruled that he was indeed Nicholas Rossi.Rossi is due to stand trial for the attack on KP in September.The prosecution case has now concluded. The trial continues.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
StanChart shares fall 9% after US lawmaker calls for probe
LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered (STAN.L), opens new tab shares fell nearly 9% on Friday after a U.S. Republican lawmaker wrote to the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, asking for a probe to be launched into the bank, claiming it was involved in sanctions evasion. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, requested in a letter shared on the X social media platform and published on her website that a special attorney be appointed to look into Standard Chartered's alleged failings. Stefanik said that an unspecified case against Standard Chartered was due to expire next week and urged action before that date. Standard Chartered said in a statement that the underlying allegations in a long-running civil case were "entirely false" and had been rejected by U.S. courts multiple times. The claimant had been pursuing the claims since 2012, the bank has previously said. "We expect the dismissal of this case will continue to be upheld on appeal," the bank said on Friday, adding it would fully cooperate with any relevant authorities and was committed to fighting financial crime. The Attorney General's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bank's shares, which had been about 1.5% lower earlier on Friday, plunged almost 9% before closing down 7.2%. One trader linked the share move to the letter. Like other European lenders, Standard Chartered's stock has risen sharply this year on robust earnings and hit a near 12-year high earlier this week. Standard Chartered has previously been the subject of U.S. scrutiny. The bank agreed to pay $1.1 billion in 2019 to U.S. and British authorities over transactions which breached sanctions against Iran and other countries. The bank was also the subject of a U.S. deferred prosecution agreement, which in 2019 was extended for two years.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
I was raped by her neighbour who tracked my footsteps and waited for me to go to sleep to break in and attack me. I kept quiet for years but this is why I'm finally coming forward
A woman who was horrifically raped by her neighbour after he tracked her footsteps around her flat, has opened up about the harrowing encounter. Naomi Saatchi, now 43, was a 21-year-old healthcare assistant living in St Paul's, Bristol, when she was raped by David Watson-Williams 22 years ago in her own home. It was 2003 when Naomi, who has waived her lifelong anonymity, had met up with a group of friends to go on a night out. When she arrived home at around 3am, she got into bed fully clothed and fell asleep. She was then awoken to being raped by Watson-Williams, who had listened from above and waited for her to fall asleep before breaking into her flat and raping her. Naomi realised the rape had been 'pre-planed' and due to her hardwood floors the attacker was able to track her footsteps around the flat and knew when she was asleep from the lack of movement. During the attack Naomi revealed how she pretended to be asleep as she feared he might 'strangle her' and 'turn violent' if she tried to fight him off. Although she tried to forget about the rape, 20 years later childless and single Naomi realised it had played a 'significant role' in her relationship with men. he was then awoken to being raped by Watson-Williams, who had listened from above and waited for her to fall asleep before breaking into her flat and raping her. David Watson-Williams, pictured In 2021 when she finally plucked up the courage to report the attack to the police. On 7 July, Naomi finally watched her predator being sentenced to 12 years behind bars with an extended three-year licence. Watson-Williams, aged 43, of Lockleaze, Bristol, who will remain on the sex offenders' register for life, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court. Naomi, a nurse prescriber, said: 'I had hardwood floor. The man who raped me could hear when I walked into the bathroom and the bedroom. 'He would have been able to hear me getting into bed and the fact that there was no movement for a while must have been when he thought I was asleep - and the opportunity to carry out his plan. 'I woke up and then there's always that split second where you are not quite sure what is happening and then I realised very quickly what was happening. 'I felt like if I tried to fight him off that he would try to strangle me and the situation would come a lot worse. 'I did want to see who it was so I squinted and I knew exactly who it was and I think that made me even more scared. 'As we all know with men there is always an end point and I pretended to be asleep until that end point. He went away as soon as he did finish attacking me. 'I was too scared to get out of bed because I knew he could hear me.' Naomi had been living in a semi-derelict block of flats at the time of the attack, where she and Watson-Williams were the only occupants, with all the other apartments boarded up. She explained not having a friendly relationship with him, but was aware that he 'fancied her'. And despite her avoiding having conversations with him when they crossed their paths on the communal area, Watson-Williams would always make her feel 'uncomfortable' with his interactions. 'I didn't have any relationship with him. He wasn't a friend, he was just a neighbour that I was aware fancied me,' she said. 'I didn't think he was a threat to me at all it was just a bit irritating and inconvenient because he would try to intercept me on the communal stairs only to make conversation but I could tell it was because he fancied me. 'I didn't realise that what was going on in his mind was a pre-meditated rape. He was planning an opportunity to rape me within my home.' She told her close friends after she was raped, but going to the police was an option she didn't find 'appropriate' at the time. She said: 'The next few days are quite a blur. I went into some state of shock. 'I don't know I would have got the outcome I got in court this time had it been 2003.' After the rape Naomi said that her abuser even tried to intercept her on the stairs in various occasions. She moved out of her flat completely after two months of the abuse. 'As soon as the opportunity arouse I left my apartment. I was terrified to be there.' Now that her attacker is behind bars, Naomi says she feels that 'justice has been made'. Naomi said: 'I am blown away by how the police has been, the CPS and the lawyer I was allocated to. 'It has been quite liberating for me and it has helped my self-esteem. I didn't realise how much this was affecting me carrying it around and knowing that this man was free. 'I feel like I have definitely done the right thing - this will prevent it happening for someone else again. 'These kind of men just carry on abusing women again and again - it is like an illness so I am delighted with the outcome.' Despite being able to have sexual relationships with men Naomi said the attack made her chose partners that made her feel 'worthless'. She said: 'It [rape] didn't stop me from being in relationships with men and being able to have a normal sex life - I felt like I was very lucky in that way. 'However my trust in men was down and my self confidence was low so I chose partners that I wouldn't have chosen had the attack not have happened. 'You just feel like you are not worth much after something like that has happened to you. 'I find myself at 43, childless, single and while I can't guarantee that the attack is the cause I am very confident that it has played a significant role. It altered the course of my life.' Naomi who is part Iranian said that wearing a hijab while in the Middle East was like an 'invisibility cloak'. Although she understands that for some women it feels like a conservative rule, for her it felt 'liberating' after the rape. Naomi explained: 'It was like an invisibility cloak from the attention of men and I still had the hijab after the rape and I did find at times that when my anxiety was really bad from the rape that I chose to wear it. 'At times I did wear it and also carried around other items to help with my safety. 'Throughout the case I also used art as my therapy to manage my stress.' Now, Naomi wants other victims to know 'they have got nothing to be ashamed of'. She said: 'Even as a developed country it has been 'open season' on rape for too long and the only way we are going to see a big change as a society is if many victims come forward and hold these rapists into account. 'The change will start with us.' Watson-Williams was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 7 July. Following two days deliberating evidence, the jury took only 45 minutes to unanimously find Watson-Williams guilty of raping Naomi. In a statement read out to the court, Naomi said: 'What should have been a bright chapter in my life was shattered by a man who knew, without a doubt, that I had no romantic or sexual interest in him. 'Yet, he hatched, in cruel premeditation, a plan to take what he wanted, with no regard for the destruction he would leave in his wake, that man is you, David. You're the man that raped me in my bed. The bed in which my childhood memories were scattered lovingly around me. 'The terror you inflicted forced me to leave my home, the place where I should have felt most secure. I had to take refuge from you. 'Now, single, and childless, while I cannot say you are solely responsible for these parts of my life, I know you have been a significant factor. Your actions have altered the course of my life in ways I am still trying to understand and untangle.' Using information provided by the victim, PC Chris Quick, the officer in the case, was able to quickly identify the suspect as Watson-Williams. The attacker had several features matching the description provided by the victim, and he also had a conviction for rape since 2003. Using a passport photo obtained by PC Quick from an application in the early-2000s by the suspect, the victim positively identified the suspect. PC Quick, formerly of Avon and Somerset's Operation Bluestone Team, which is dedicated to solving rape and serious sexual offence cases, said: 'I cannot commend the victim enough for having the bravery to tell us what happened. This is a very traumatic event which she has lived with for nearly 20 years before deciding to report it to the police. 'The sentence reflects the seriousness of what happened to her. She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years. 'Incidents such as this have a lasting and profound impact and we hope that both victims have had the justice they so rightly deserve. 'We hope this conviction sends out an important message - any acts of violence will never be tolerated, and every victim deserves to be heard and supported, no matter how long ago the attack took place.' Victims of rape or sexual assault, recent or non-recent, can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which is available to 24/7 365 days a year, visit their website or call 0117 342 6999.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
New Hampshire man accused of fatally shooting his sister-in-law and nephews pleads guilty
A New Hampshire man accused of killing his sister-in-law and two young nephews when he was 16 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges Friday after prosecutors described a playful morning turned tragic. Eric Sweeney, now 19, had been living with his older brother's family in Northfield for three years when prosecutors say he fatally shot Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her sons, 4-year-old Benjamin and 1-year-old Mason, in August 2022. He was scheduled to go on trial on first-degree murder charges next month but instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charges in Merrimack County Superior Court, speaking only to briefly confirm his understanding of the proceedings. First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without parole. Second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison. Sweeney, whose lawyers had considered raising an insanity defense, will be sentenced on Oct. 3. According to prosecutors, Sweeney's older brother, Sean, and his wife were serving as the teen's guardians when Sweeney's 'increasing behavioral issues' including lying and violating house rules began causing tensions in the home. The couple called police twice: once when Sweeney took their truck without permission and again less than two weeks before the shootings to say he was making 'strange statements,' Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand said at Friday's hearing. 'The situation had deteriorated the the extent that Sean installed a lock on the door of the master bedroom in order to keep the defendant out of that room,' Durand said. She described videos Kassandra Sweeney recorded and sent to her husband less than 10 minutes before they were killed: the toddler laughing as one of the family dogs nipped at the tail of his older brother's dinosaur costume, both boys looking out the window at a groundhog and saying 'Hi, Dada' to the camera. 'The family was having a normal morning, with the boys playing and laughing with Kassandra while helping her to create video clips to send to their dad,' Durand said. 'There was no indication of any unknown person, intruder or danger inside of their home.' When he was taken into custody, Sweeney told police he had been in his room in the basement when he heard something break upstairs, a man with a deep voice yelling and multiple 'pops,' according to court documents. He said he went upstairs and found his sister-in-law and nephews on the floor bleeding and then took Kassandra's cellphone and keys and drove away. He then called his brother, who called police. Investigators found Kassandra and Mason in the dining room and Benjamin in the kitchen, Durand said. All three had been shot once in the head, Benjamin through the hood of his dinosaur costume. The prosecutor said Sweeney used his brother's handgun, which was kept in a locked safe under the couple's bed. Family members, some of whom wiped away tears during the hearing, declined to comment afterward, as did lawyers for both sides. According to court documents, Sweeney left the couple a note when he took their truck in June 2022. 'I do not belong in this family All I do is steal and lie and be irresponsible,' it read in part, closing with, 'I love you big bro and sis bye.'
