Brit dad, 54, suspected of faking his death by vanishing from US beach is facing 24 rape charges in Scotland
Kim Gordon was reported missing by his son but cops in California say 'We can't prove he went into the water'
A BRITISH dad suspected of faking his death by vanishing from a beach in California is facing 24 rape charges in Scotland, according to reports in the US.
Police scoured the ocean for Kim Gordon, 54 — but now say they believe he may have staged the disappearance.
Gordon, a busker and street vendor from Inverness, went missing last Monday while on holiday with his 17-year-old son Ruben Avis.
The lad called 911, saying his dad went swimming at Monastery beach near Carmel - known for its dangerous currents.
Dive teams searched for two days but police now believe Gordon may be alive.
Monterey County Sheriff's Office captain John Thornburg said: “We don't think he went swimming and got in trouble.
“We got a 911 call saying that he had gone swimming off one of our beaches and hadn't returned. This was 7.15pm, which was a little unusual to go swimming because it was dark.
“At that time, we treated it as a missing person, as a swimmer in distress, so the fire department, the sheriff's office and state parks began searching.
“Monastery Beach is the area where he was reported to have gone. It's a very dangerous beach, getting out of the water is very difficult.
“For the next two days we put dive teams into the Pacific Ocean to try and locate him.”
Gordon and his son Ruben flew into Los Angeles for a two-week break last month, records show.
His son reported him missing from the beach, but cops described his story as “inconsistent” – saying he had not actually seen his father go into the water.
There was also no indication how they got from Los Angeles to Monterey – 320 miles away – or where they were staying.
Captain Thornburg added: “We can't prove that he went into the water.”
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Ruben is now back in Scotland. He reportedly refused to speak to the Sunday Mail newspaper at the family home in Bunchrew.
His stepmum Brooke said it “would not be appropriate” to comment.
Gordon, also known as Kem Vincent Avis, is due to appear at Edinburgh's High Court on March 11.
Inquiries in the US are continuing and the country's Marshals Service is investigating.
The Foreign Office said: “Our staff are assisting the family of a British man who is missing in the United States and are in touch with the local authorities.”
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