The controversial influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in the United States as part of a UK police investigation into a number of alleged sexual offences. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was bringing further charges against the two men and had requested their extradition.
Andrew Tate, 39, is charged with seven further counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 19 additional charges for offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography. Tristan Tate, 38, is charged with one further count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The CPS said the 38 additional charges, in addition to the 21 already brought, relate to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017. Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS special crime division, said: 'These charging decisions followed receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire police and bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven.'
US marshals confirmed to the BBC that the Tates had been taken into custody, and a US Department of Justice spokesperson said the arrests were 'pursuant to extradition proceedings'. The brothers are dual British-US citizens and were arrested in Miami on Saturday.
Lawyers for the alleged victims and for the Tates have made statements. Matt Jury, representing four alleged British victims of Andrew Tate, said: 'Andrew Tate is now facing the real prospect of extradition to the UK after years of public campaigning by the four British women I represent.' Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the brothers, said the latest charges were designed to counter defamation lawsuits the Tates have filed in the US, adding: 'The world knows Andrew and Tristan Tate are innocent.'
Bedfordshire police said the major crime unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire had continued to investigate. Assistant chief constable Karena Thomas said: 'We understand the interest that this case will generate, but we would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the legal process to be carried out correctly.' The brothers have consistently denied all allegations of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
