Social media influencer Andrew Tate was accused of rape and strangulation by two British women. According to them, he attacked them, sent a series of disturbing texts, in which he claims to have “enjoyed” the discomfort of the women. Andrew Tate and brother Tristan were charged in Romania with alleged human trafficking and sexual exploitation; prison sentences of more than ten years in prison await both brothers upon conviction.

Rape, strangulation are among the allegations.

Two women have described their traumatic encounters with Andrew Tate in a recent BBC interview. One woman recalls the harrowing encounter back in 2013 when Tate allegedly said something astounding to her: he was considering whether to rape her. He grabbed her around her throat, flung her onto the bed, strangled her, and then sexually assaulted her. Disturbing messages came afterward from Tate, including voice notes referencing sexual violence.

She, although reporting the incident to Bedfordshire Police in 2014, saw the case being closed in 2019 due to lack of evidence.

Another woman, told a similar story. She recounted a violent attack where Tate allegedly strangled her, knocking her out cold and leaving her eye bloodshot. Unlike the previous woman, she did not report the assault to the police.

New Allegation Against Tristan Tate

A British woman, who previously had a relationship with him, came to say he had raped her in Bucharest after accepting an offer to work in the webcam business of the Tate brothers. She described how it was a world of control and manipulation; Tristan, she said, attacked her, even though she uttered “no” several times. This woman never went to the police.

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Introduction to Legal Issues of Tate Brothers

The two brothers, aged 37 and 36, respectively, were under house arrest in Romania pending charges for alleged human trafficking and setting up an organized group with the purpose of sexually exploiting women. Andrew Tate was also accused of rape. They both denied all allegations. Their legal issues are even more international because extradition proceedings against the two men are ongoing in the UK over alleged rape and human trafficking between 2012 and 2015. He also faces a suit in the UK High Court filed by 4 women, who accused Andrew Tate of rape and sexual assault. Both brothers are also litigating over unsettled taxes on their online businesses.

A Broader Context

Exploitation and human-trafficking claims against Andrew and Tristan Tate stretch back over a decade, at least to their UK-based days. Andrew first gained notoriety for a string of controversial social-media posts in the mid-2010s that bragged about his misogynist views and over-the-top life of luxury. The nexus of the criminal case against the brothers in Romania is their webcam business, which prosecutors contend was the vehicle used to traffic women. While both brothers swear their innocence, the piling accusations and litigations constitute an encumbering shadow falling upon their public images, with victims surfacing to narrate their tales of abuse and exploitation.

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