A warrant has been issued for an Inverness busker who was reported missing in California while facing criminal charges in Scotland.

Kim Vincent, also known as Kim Vincent Avis or Kim Gordon, was due to appear at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday morning, but failed to turn up.

The 55-year-old has been charged with 24 offences, including rape, sexual and physical assault, against four alleged victims, two of whom were children.

The majority of the charges are alleged to have taken place in and around the Inverness area, where Vincent lives. The allegations date back as far as 1997.

American police officers launched a major search for Vincent two weeks ago, after he was reported missing off the coast of California.

They were told he had failed to return to shore after going for a swim at Monastery beach in Carmel, Monterey County.

US Marshals have taken over the search for Vincent, but so far he has not been traced.