LONDON: Avowed misogynist and radical social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been charged with several counts of rape, assault and trafficking, UK prosecutors said Wednesday.
The accusations, which date back to between 2012 to 2015, were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service in January 2024, but have only been revealed now.
“We can confirm that we have authorised charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate for offences including rape, human trafficking, controlling prostitution and actual bodily harm against three women,“ prosecutors said in a statement.
Former kickboxer Tate, 38, faces 10 charges including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution relating to all three women.
His brother, Tristan, 36, has been accused of 11 similar charges against one woman.
“A European arrest warrant was issued in England in 2024, and as a result the Romanian courts ordered the extradition to the UK of Andrew and Tristan Tate,“ prosecutors said.
“However, the domestic criminal matters in Romania must be settled first.”
Andrew Tate faces legal action in several countries, including some cases where he is accused alongside his brother.
In Romania, the Tate brothers face separate allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering.
Both men, who have dual British-US nationality, have denied all charges against them. Andrew Tate hit back with a post on the social network X on Wednesday.
“The UK government accuses the ‘innocent’ while murderers, violent illegals, and corrupt leaders walk free. This is not justice – it’s betrayal!,“ he wrote.
Tate, the figurehead of the online masculinist movement, went to Florida with his brother in February, marking the first time they had left Romania since their 2022 arrest. They travelled to Dubai in April, but returned to Romania a few days ago to report to police as they are required to do.
Justice
In a separate civil case before the UK High Court, four British women have accused Andrew Tate of rape and coercive control.
Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in Britain.
He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the “Big Brother“ UK reality television show, but was removed after a controversial video emerged.
He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.
Tate is followed by more than 10.7 million people on the social network X, where he shares his vision of masculinity and often homophobic and racist posts.
Lawyer Matt Jury, representing the women in the civil case, said he welcomed that “our authorities are working to ensure the Tates face justice here in the UK — they cannot be allowed to escape extradition”.
But he urged prosecutors to also charge Andrew Tate for the accusations brought by his clients, after prosecutors decided in 2019 not to proceed with a criminal case.
The women “originally filed criminal complaints against him as long ago as 2014 but were failed by the system. They deserve justice, too,“ Jury said.
