Listen Now: I Am Not Nicholas

July 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In January 2022, journalist Jane McSorley was scrolling the morning news when she saw something that stopped her: a man had been arrested in a Glasgow COVID ward. Police said he was a fugitive named Nicholas Rossi, wanted for rape in Utah. The man claimed he was an Irish orphan called Arthur Knight. McSorley ended up following the story for over four and a half years, and the result is her podcast I Am Not Nicholas.

The first image of the defendant at Edinburgh Sheriff Court was unforgettable. He arrived in a wheelchair, wearing burgundy pajamas, a matching dressing gown, and a burgundy cloth covering his entire head—"just like this Burgundy mass on wheels," McSorley recalls. He had socks but no slippers. Inside the courtroom, the cloth was gone, but the man looked nothing like a 34-year-old. He appeared closer to 64: small, round, hunched over, with greasy black hair, a beard peppered with grey, and round black John Lennon-style glasses. He had a mask over his nose and mouth, with oxygen tubing running into it. He had been very ill with COVID, in and out of intensive care.

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What you'll learn

1 I Am Not Nicholas — Navigation Outline
2 (00:00) **Journalist Discovers a Bizarre Story** - Jane McSorley explains how she stumbled upon the case of a man arrested in a Glasgow COVID ward who claims to be an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight, while US authorities say he's fugitive Nicholas Rossi, wanted for rape in Utah.
3 (01:28) **Setup: The Core Dispute** - McSorley lays out the fundamental conflict at the heart of the story: the man claims to be Arthur Knight, an innocent Irish man living in Glasgow, while US authorities insist he is American fugitive Nicholas Rossi.
4 (02:13) **First Court Appearance: The Burgundy Spectacle** - McSorley describes the surreal scene of "Arthur Knight" being wheeled into court in burgundy pajamas, a matching dressing gown, and a burgundy cloth covering his entire head.
5 (02:58) **Inside the Courtroom: Defiance and Denial** - Once inside, the cloth is removed, revealing a sickly-looking man with oxygen, who immediately begins disrupting proceedings by repeatedly interrupting the prosecutor, his own lawyer, and even the sheriff.
6 (04:22) **Invitation to the Full Story** - McSorley teases the complete narrative and directs listeners to the full podcast series available on Audible or wherever they get their podcasts.
7 Standout Quotes

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

“I am not Nicholas Rossi!” gasps Arthur Knight through an oxygen mask in March 2022. Recently discharged from a Covid ward in Glasgow, he's in a wheelchair. The police say he’s Nicholas Rossi, suspected of faking his death and wanted for rape in Utah. The story makes headlines globally.

When journalist Jane MacSorley meets Arthur Knight and his wife Miranda, she thinks the police have made a mistake. She embarks on a yearlong investigation, making a unique discovery which changes everything.

Listen to I Am Not Nicholas Season 1 on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes early and ad-free by joining Audible on the Audible App or on Apple Podcasts.

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