Andrew Tate: all allegations against controversial influencer explained including rape and trafficking charges

Andrew Tate is currently under house arrest in Romania, where he, alongside his brother Tristan, is being investigated for suspected human trafficking, organised crime, and rape.

The controversial social media influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist was first arrested in December 2022. He then remained in custody until 1 April, after a court ruled four times to extend his preventative detainment.

Just under a fortnight later, on 13 April, reports emerged that three women are planning to sue Tate for civil damages, over allegations that he raped and abused them.

Tate has vehemently denied all accusations levelled at him, frequently taking to Twitter - where his account was recently reinstated - to proclaim his innocence.

His spokesperson released a statement, responding to the most recent sexual assault claims, which argued “it is worth investigating the motivation of the [victims’] actions”, given that “previous attempts to accuse [Tate] of similar fabricated crimes have been dismissed by criminal courts in the UK.”

But how many investigations is the influencer facing, and how many cases is he involved with? Here are all the allegations against Tate, explained.

Rape and abuse claims

The most recent allegations against Tate emerged on Thursday (13 April), as it was reported that three women are planning to sue the 36-year-old in a civil case. The trio, who are in their late 20s and early 30s, told Sky News that they were raped and abused by Tate, and have as a result suffered physical injury and psychological harm - which has stopped them working or living a normal life for several years.

They allege that the offences took place between 2013 and 2016, while Tate was living in the UK, and while they were working as webcam models for him in Luton. Matt Jury, their lawyer, said: “Their allegations include rape, sexual and physical assaults, including holding guns to women’s heads, strangulations including with belts, allegations of the most awful behaviour towards women.”

The three women, who are now pursuing civil proceedings, actually first made complaints to police eight years ago. Hertfordshire Police began investigating the allegations in 2015, arresting Tate three times on suspicion of raping two of the women and assaulting the third.

However, the case was abandoned four years later with no further action. The women allege that detectives had failed to properly investigate, with Mr Jury remarking: “We’re aware of the evidence that was provided, it should have been sufficient to warrant proper criminal intent investigation and, in our opinion, for charges to be brought.”

The Crown Prosecution Service meanwhile said it had reviewed carefully all the evidence provided by Hertfordshire Police in its investigation in 2019, and found no realistic prospect of conviction. A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police, which has since apologised for delays in the investigation, added: “Officers from the team who dealt with this case are available to meet with the women involved to speak to them about their concerns and the investigation.”

Responding to the recent claims, a spokesperson for Tate, who has denied the allegations and said through his legal team the women “wanted money because I fired them”, commented: “By choosing to address the press first before any legal action had been taken, the women in this potential case prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are not seeking accountability or justice, but publicity and monetary compensation.

“While we are aware that abuse of any kind is a grave issue with serious long term consequences, we believe it is worth investigating the timing and methods the alleged victims decided to employ, as well as the true motivation of their actions. Andrew and his brother have recently been released from jail and they have not been formally charged with any crime. More so, previous attempts to accuse Andrew of similar fabricated crimes have been dismissed by criminal courts in the UK.

“Andrew Tate and his team are determined to clear his name and restore his reputation and will take immediate and decisive legal actions against defamation, slander and perverting the course of justice.”

One of the alleged victims told Sky News: “After meeting Andrew, my life was impacted negatively from the daily mental manipulation and physical abuse that I endured every single day. I now suffer with depression, anxiety, stress and have been diagnosed with PTSD.

“This has taken a huge toll on me, it’s affected every single aspect of my life; my work, my mental health and my family. Seeing Andrew first blow up on social media was a huge shock to the system. I hadn’t seen him for years since he had left the UK and I never thought I would see him again.”

Human trafficking, organised crime, and rape investigation

On 29 December 2022, Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) following allegations of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Investigators suspect the brothers to be part of a group that forces women to work as cam girls through “physical violence and mental coercion (intimidation, constant surveillance, control and the invoking of alleged debts)”.

Prosecutors described what they say amounts to a sex-trafficking ring, saying in a statement that they believe the four suspects who were arrested - which includes Luana Radu and Georgiana Naghel, two women who allegedly help run the ‘business’ - had “created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing, and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost.”

Andrew and Tristan deny all accusations - and neither has been formally charged with a crime. They were held in custody from 29 December until 1 April, after a court ruled four times to extend their arrest.

A document explaining the judge’s reasoning said “the possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored,” and they could “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition”.

Responding to his arrest on Twitter on 15 January, Tate wrote: “Anyone who believes I am a human trafficker may as well go and take their 10th vaccine. There are 0 victims, 0 proof of any crime in our case file. They have arrested me to ‘look’ for evidence. Which they will not find because it doesn’t exist.”

The case is believed to be in connection to an incident which took place in April 2022, when the brothers’ residence in Romania was raided by local authorities - in what was reportedly a police response to a tip-off that an American woman was being held at their house against her will.

According to local reports, both an American woman and Romanian woman were found to be unwillingly in the residence. Tristan told the Daily Beast that no women were found in the house.

Big Brother video

One of Tate’s first stints in the public eye took place in 2016, when he appeared on Big Brother. He was eventually booted out by Channel 5 bosses however, after footage of him hitting his girlfriend with a belt was acquired by The Sun.

In the video, the woman could be seen in her underwear on a bed, with Tate yelling and swearing at her. He also threatened to “f**king kill her” if she messaged another man.

Tate however claimed that the video had been taken out of context, stating: “This tape is a kinky sex video and we’re acting out a role play. A longer version of the video shows us laughing and I’m hitting myself saying, “It doesn’t hurt”. I’m still friends with her and she’s in the UK with me now. I would never hit a woman.”

A Channel 5 spokesperson said at the time: “Channel 5 and the producers reached the view that Andrew’s position as a housemate had become untenable after a video was brought to our attention by The Sun.” No criminal action was pursued following the incident.

Who is Andrew Tate?

Tate is an American-British influencer and former professional kickboxer who rose to fame on social media as an internet personality. He has amassed 6 million followers on Twitter and had a huge following on TikTok before he was banned from the app, with videos under the hashtag #AndrewTate watched 14 billion times.

The self-proclaimed misogynist became known for spreading far-right ideology, and controversial views about women. He has said that women belong in the home, are men’s property, and that 18-year-old girls are more attractive than women aged 20 and up because “they’ve been through less dick”. He also said rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their attacks.

He still however has a huge number of supporters, who congratulate him for promoting ‘masculinity’. Some of his young fans meanwhile look up to his lifestyle, seeing him as the epitome of wealth, success, and again, ‘manhood’.