Andrew Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two associates, has been charged with rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women charges. According to a BBC report, all of the accused have vehemently denied the allegations. The Tate brothers were initially detained at their home in Bucharest in December. Following a decision by a Romanian judge in March, they were granted house arrest rather than remaining in custody.
According to the report, the indictment filed with the Bucharest court reveals that the four defendants allegedly established an organized criminal group in 2021 with the aim of engaging in human trafficking in Romania, as well as other countries such as the US and the UK. The indictment identifies seven alleged victims who were purportedly lured by the Tate brothers through false promises of love and marriage.
The trial is not expected to commence immediately and is likely to span several years. A Romanian judge now has 60 days to review the case files before they can be officially sent for trial, it said.
As per the report, a spokesperson representing Andrew Tate expressed the defendants' anticipation of the opportunity to prove their innocence during the legal proceedings.
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Andrew Tate, a British-American former kickboxer, garnered controversy in 2016 when he was removed from the British TV show "Big Brother" following a video that appeared to show him assaulting a woman. Despite social media bans, Tate gained notoriety online, particularly among young men, by promoting a hyper-masculine and ultra-luxurious lifestyle.
His Twitter account was temporarily banned after he made comments suggesting that women should bear some responsibility for incidents of sexual assault, although he has since been reinstated.