Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking

Tate brothers under house arrest pending criminal investigation

Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

The pair are accused, along with two Romanian women, of tricking seven alleged victims with false declarations of love and transporting them to take part in pornography. The women were allegedly controlled by “intimidation, constant surveillance” and claims they were in debt, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors accuse Andrew Tate, 36, of raping one of the alleged victims, while Tristan, 34, is charged with instigating others to violence.

The brothers so far vehemently deny the accusations.

Andrew and Tristan Tate have been charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women (EPA)

Under Romanian law, a judge has up to 60 days to assess the files in the case before defendants are sent to trial.

Mateea Petrescu, a spokesperson for the brothers, said they were prepared to “demonstrate their innocence and vindicate their reputation” at a hearing in Bucharest on Wednesday morning.

“Tate’s legal team are prepared to cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities, presenting all necessary evidence to exonerate the brothers and expose any misinterpretations or false accusations,” Petrescu said.

Prosecutors ordered the confiscation of the Tate brothers’ assets, including 15 luxury cars, luxury watches and about $3m in cryptocurrency.

Several women in Britain also are pursuing civil claims to obtain damages from Tate, alleging they were victims of sexual violence. In a recent interview with the BBC, Tate denied spreading a culture of misogyny and accusations that he manipulated women for financial gain.

The former kickboxers, who have US and British nationality with millions of online followers, are the highest profile suspects to be sent to trial in Romania for human trafficking.

Andrew Tate was also a contestant on the UK reality show Big Brother and gained notoriety for misogynistic remarks and hate speech.

His views got him banned from all major social media platforms, although his Twitter account became active again in November after Elon Musk acquired the platform and has grown an audience of more than 4.5 million followers.

Campaigners told The Independent the influencer is a “legitimising force” for misogynistic ideas.

It comes as YouGov data seen by The Independent reveals that 26 per cent of men in the UK aged between 18 and 29 who had heard of Tate agreed with his opinions on women.