Two girls who say they have been raped and strangled by controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate have spoken to the BBC about their experiences.
One other girl has claimed for the primary time that she was raped by Mr Tate’s brother Tristan, additionally an influencer with thousands and thousands of followers.
The Tate brothers, aged 37 and 36 respectively, presently face expenses in Romania of human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of girls by organized teams. Andrew Tait was additionally charged with rape.
If discovered responsible, the 2 could possibly be jailed for greater than 10 years. They strongly deny the costs in opposition to them.
Warning: Accommodates distressing content material and depictions of sexual violence
Andrew Tait is presently underneath home arrest in Romania. Along with the costs he already faces, Prosecutors are considering new charges against himtogether with sexual relations with minors and trafficking of minors. The brothers are additionally underneath investigation for trafficking 34 different girls.
Now two British girls not concerned within the case of the Tate brothers in Romania have given the BBC detailed first-hand accounts of alleged rape and sexual violence in opposition to Andrew Tate. The allegations date again not less than a decade to a time when Mr Tait was residing in Luton.
One other British girl has made new rape accusations in opposition to Tristan Tate, saying he put his fingers round her throat whereas doing so.
Anna (not her actual title) instructed us she dated Andrew Tait in Luton in 2013.
“He began kissing me… He simply appeared up on the ceiling and mentioned, ‘I used to be simply eager about raping you.’ Out of the blue, he grabbed me by the throat, pushed me to the again of the mattress, and strangled me laborious. I.
Anna mentioned he then raped her.
She mentioned that after the assault, Mr Tate despatched her disturbing textual content messages and voicemails about rape and sexual violence.
“Am I a nasty particular person? As a result of the much less you prefer it, the extra I prefer it,” he mentioned in a voicemail.
“I like raping you,” he wrote within the textual content message.
Anna mentioned he additionally tried to deal with the strangulation incident as a joke: “Are you actually indignant that I strangled you?”
When requested by the BBC for this info, Tate declined to remark.
Anna instructed Bedfordshire Police in regards to the alleged assault in 2014. Two different girls made comparable accusations and police started investigating.
In 2019, a file was despatched to the Crown Prosecution Service nevertheless it was finally determined there was inadequate proof to put expenses.
One other girl, whom we’ll name Sienna, instructed the same story.
She mentioned she first met Andrew Tait in Luton ten years in the past: “We received on rather well and had a number of drinks.”
She mentioned that they had what she referred to as a “normal one-night stand.”
A number of months later, Sienna mentioned she noticed Mr. Tate once more.
She claims this time he assaulted her.
“We went to my bed room … and we began having intercourse,” she mentioned. “That is when he put his fingers round my throat.”
Sienna mentioned she struggled for air after which misplaced consciousness. When she wakened, she mentioned he was nonetheless having intercourse together with her.
“I used to be very scared,” she mentioned. “I simply bear in mind gasping for air… it was rape.”
Within the morning, she mentioned her eyes have been bloodshot.
“The white of considered one of my eyes turned fully pink – apparently that is widespread in home violence instances the place strangulation happens.”
A buddy of Sienna confirmed to the BBC that she instructed him in regards to the incident on the time. He additionally mentioned he noticed accidents to her eyes.
Sienna didn’t name police and mentioned she regrets it.
A complete of 5 girls within the UK mentioned they have been strangled by Mr Tate throughout intercourse, BBC Panorama reported.
After we interviewed him final June, he denied ever strangling girls or having intercourse with girls with out their consent.
“I do know I’ve by no means damage anybody. It isn’t in my nature to harm individuals,” he mentioned.
Within the latter half of the previous decade, Andrew Tate started to make a reputation for himself on-line.
The self-professed misogynist’s movies on YouTube and TikTok and posts on Twitter have earned him thousands and thousands of followers and international fame.
He preached a message to boys and younger males: girls must be dominated.
In a single video, he mentioned girls have been “basically lazy,” including: “You possibly can’t be grounded in actuality with out being sexist.”
Panorama – Andrew Tate: Accused
Oana Marocico returns to her house nation to analyze Andrew and Tristan Tate’s Romanian webcam enterprise and confronts girls who declare they have been abused by the brothers Had a dialog.
Monday 9 September BBC One 20:00 BST (Wales 20:30) OR BBC iPlayer (UK only) From 20:00 BST
Mr Tait named by British authorities Because he spreads misogyny online.
His movies additionally present the lavish way of life he claimed to reside in Romania.
Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are believed to have immigrated to the nation round 2016.
They’d been operating a webcam enterprise in Luton – the place girls chatted and stripped on-line for cash.
Romania has one of many largest webcam industries on the planet, using over 500,000 individuals. The brothers’ transfer there apparently helped the enterprise take off.
Andrew Tate as soon as claimed he was incomes £400,000 a month from webcamming and had “75 girls working for him at his peak”.
Nonetheless, when he was interviewed by the BBC final yr, he performed down these boasts, claiming they have been exaggerations and lies.
Grownup leisure enterprise is at its core Criminal case filed against them in Romania.
Prosecutors accuse the brothers of trafficking girls into the nation, in different phrases, recruiting them, arranging their transportation and offering lodging in Bucharest for the aim of exploitation. The 2 girls named within the case file have been dropped at Romania from the UK.
One other British girl who is just not concerned in any authorized motion spoke to Panorama about her expertise working for the Tates. That is her first public speech.
Daisy (not her actual title) mentioned she was courting Tristan Tate within the UK in 2017 when he inspired her to work for the brothers’ webcam firm in Bucharest. We have seen proof that Tristan booked a flight to Bucharest.
Daisy’s participation was voluntary and she or he knew and agreed to take part within the webcam enterprise. She describes the managed setting during which she lives and works with different on-line photographers.
“The women have their very own rooms, nevertheless it’s not their private area. The whole lot belongs to Tristan and Andrew, and the bed room the place the women work can be the bed room the place the brothers sleep.
Daisy mentioned all girls had strict guidelines and nearly each side of their lives was monitored.
This description was echoed by a Romanian webcam mannequin who additionally gave us an interview.
“Raluca” mentioned that she entered the Taitz household roster in 2021.
Many of the fashions who work for the Tate “are courting them,” LaLuca mentioned. A few of them have been girls introduced from England, she added.
Romanian prosecutors mentioned that they had acquired statements from three girls who described feeling “managed” by the brothers. In case recordsdata, some girls mentioned they weren’t allowed to depart their houses “on their very own.”
When Andrew Tait was interviewed by the BBC final yr, he denied such accusations and claimed the ladies labored for him. He mentioned his position was merely to “assist them discover the photographer.”
Days after arriving in Romania, Daisy mentioned she broke up with Tristan Tate, however that did not cease him from attempting to have intercourse together with her.
“I instructed him ‘no’ 10 to fifteen instances, I did not wish to do it.”
She mentioned he put his fingers round her throat and raped her.
Daisy has but to report her allegations to the police.
The BBC spoke to a buddy who mentioned Daisy was depressed when she returned to the UK and instructed him Tristan Tate was sexually violent in the direction of her.
We requested Tristan Tate about all of the allegations in opposition to him, however he had no remark.
This yr, the Taits’ authorized troubles deepened.
Along with the prevailing expenses in Romania and the brand new investigation introduced final month, they face various authorized threats elsewhere.
Within the UK, Bedfordshire Police have begun extradition proceedings against the two brothers Allegations of rape and human trafficking date from 2012 to 2015. None of this was related to the ladies we interviewed.
In a civil case introduced by Devon and Cornwall Police, magistrates are anticipated to listen to subsequent month whether or not the Taits Their online businesses owe millions in unpaid taxes.
Sienna and Anna are presently suing Andrew Tate and their case shall be heard on the Excessive Court docket in London. Together with two different girls, they accused him of rape and sexual assault. He plans to dispute these claims.
We requested Mr Tate about all the newest allegations however he declined to remark.
He instructed us final yr: “I anticipate the reality to return out. I anticipate the BBC to disclose the reality and that Andrew Tait is discovered not responsible as a result of I by no means did something mistaken.
If you’re affected by any of the problems on this article, you possibly can contact BBC Action Line