A Scot who allegedly tried to fake his own death while accused of 24 charges including rape has been arrested in the US.

Kim Vincent, also known as Kim Vincent Avis or Kim Gordon, was feared to have drowned after disappearing from California's Carmel coast in February.

However, police later believed it was a hoax after an investigation.

Following his disappearance, a warrant was issued for his arrest after the 55-year-old failed to show up to the High Court in Edinburgh in March to face 24 charges, which included allegations of rape, sexual, and physical assault.

The street trader and busker from Inverness is now set to be extradited back to Scotland after being captured in Colorado on Friday.

A spokesperson for Monterey County Sheriff's Office in California confirmed that he is currently being held by US Marshals until his hearing later this month.

The 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.

Vincent was initially reported missing by his teenage son, who later flew back to Scotland, after disappearing at Monastery Beach.

Following a three-day search involving multiple agencies, police concluded that the drowning was staged.

Commander John Thornburg, from Monterey County Sheriff's Department, said at the time: "This person never went swimming."

He added that the teenage son's story started to "crumble and fall apart" after being questioned on how they got to Monterey from Los Angeles.

The sheriff's office stated that they were able to track Vincent down after they received a report that he was spotted driving a white Ford van in the Big Sur area.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police Scotland is aware of reports from the USA regarding Kim Gordon or Avis and is liaising with the relevant authorities."