Scot Kim Avis who went missing in US guilty of rapes

A Scot who went missing in the US before later being traced and extradited to the UK has been found guilty of raping three women.

Kim Avis, from Inverness, disappeared in February 2019 after reportedly going for a swim at a beach in California.

The following month a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in Scotland to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Avis was traced to Colorado Springs in July 2019 and was extradited.

On Friday, a jury at the High Court in Glasgow found the 57-year-old market trader guilty of raping three of his victims.

He was also found guilty of attempting to rape one of them when she was 12, and guilty of sexually assaulting a girl when she was 11.

He was further convicted of failing to appear for the previous trial.

The jury convicted Avis of a total of 14 charges spanning between 2006 and 2017. Avis denied all the charges.

Judge Lord Sandison adjourned sentencing until 11 June in Edinburgh.

As he was led in handcuffs to the cells, Avis said: "This is a tragic day for truth and justice."

Avis was reported missing in February 2019 after reportedly going for a swim at Monastery Beach in Carmel, California.

His disappearance sparked a three-day search of the area involving the coastguard, divers and a drone.

The following month a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear as requested at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Police in the US believed Avis was still alive and in July 2019 he was traced over 1,300 miles (2,092km) away in Colorado Springs.