Scottish man 'who tried to fake his own death' is arrested in US

A man who allegedly tried to fake his own death has been arrested in the US.

Published 27th Jul 2019

Kim Gordon, 55, also known as Ken Gordon-Avis or Kim Vincent Avis, is from the Edinburgh area and is wanted over 24 sexual offence allegations in Scotland, according to Monterey County Sheriff's Office in California.

Gordon disappeared from California's Carmel coast in February, and police were told he had gone missing and was feared to have drownedafter a night-time swim in treacherous waters at Monastery Beach, Carmel.

But after three days, searchers found no trace of him.

A conversation with Gordon's ex-wife left police suspicious that there may be more to the story.

Sheriff's Captain John Thornburg said at the time that their suspicions had been further aroused after finding out about the allegations in Scotland.

He said: "When that came up, we start to wonder if this is a hoax, and he's trying to escape these charges out of Scotland."

Detectives interviewed the boy again and decided he was not telling the truth. Authorities claimed he had not been certain about how he and his father travelled from Los Angeles airport to the beach.

Gordon was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last week and is being held by US Marshals.

Monterey County Sheriff's Office said that after suspecting the drowning report was a hoax, they worked with US Marshals, Interpol and Scottish authorities to secure an arrest and extradition warrant.

An extradition hearing is scheduled for later this month.

Hear all the latest news from across Tayside, Perthshire and Angus on the hour, every hour, at Tay FM. Listen on FM, via our Radio Tay app, on your DAB radio, online at TAYFM.co.uk, or say ‘Play TAY FM’ on your Smart Speaker.