Former Inverness street trader Kim Avis found guilty at High Court in Glasgow of rape and sexual abuse offences
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Kim Avis has been convicted on 14 charges after a two-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
He was found guilty today of preying on two girls and two women between 2006 and 2017 mainly in Inverness including at his property, called Wolves Den.
Avis – also a well known busker in Inverness – should have originally stood trial in March 2019.
But the 57-year-old had instead fled to America where he was then reported missing by his 17-year-old son, Reuben.
He was said to have last been seen going for a swim at Monastery Beach in Carmel, California.
He was eventually caught 1300 miles away in Colorado where he was tracked down to a low-cost motel after a police stake-out in July 2019.
Hauled back to Scotland he now faces a lengthy jail-term when he is sentenced next month.
His crimes included raping three of his victims, attempting to rape one of the trio and sexually assaulting a fourth female.
He was also convicted of failing to appear for the previous trial.
Lord Sandison adjourned sentencing until June 11 in Edinburgh.
As he was led handcuffed to the cells, Avis stated: "This is a tragedy for truth and justice."
He had earlier said the accusations against him were like "reading from a film script".
One victim – aged just 12 when Avis first struck – described him being in a "trance" during a sex attack.
She told how he pounced after the pair had been at a car boot sale in Muir of Ord in May 2016.
Avis – who later raped the victim in a separate incident – told her there was "something wrong" with him.
The two women Avis abused had been in relationships with him.
Both were also raped by him.
One told how he could fly into a rage at "not very much" and described him as "extreme".
The other ex-partner denied "chucking mud" at Avis in a bid to blacken his name.
She sobbed as she told jurors: "I am just giving my story."
She said Avis had made false accusations against her on social media, but denied wanting "vengeance".
The final victim – now 21 – was also aged around 12 when Avis first targeted her.
He was held after police were alerted in 2017.
Quizzed about the allegations, he insisted: "It is like reading a film script. It is untrue. It is disgusting."
Avis was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register ahead of sentencing.
