Andrew Tate released from house arrest over sex-trafficking charges

Andrew Tate has won an appeal to be released from house arrest in Romania as he awaits trial on charges of human trafficking.

The Bucharest Court of Appeals said in a written ruling that it “replaces the house arrest measure with that of judicial control for a period of 60 days from August 4 until October 2”.

While his placement under judicial control represents a lighter restrictive measure than house arrest, Tate will need a judge’s permission if he wishes to travel outside the municipality of Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county.

The misogynistic influencer was arrested in December and charged in June along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects.

The Tates are accused of rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, with seven women alleged to have been targeted. They deny the charges.

Under Romanian law, the case was sent to the Bucharest court’s preliminary chamber, where a judge has 60 days to inspect the case files to ensure legality.

The Tates spent three months in police detention after detectives raided their home in December, successfully appealing to be moved to house arrest on 31 March. While they lost an appeal to be released from that restriction last month, a further attempt this week was granted by the court.

“After 10 months, 3 in jail, 7 at home. After 15 million euro of asset seizures. After an inditement [sic] based on nothing. The file was passed to a Judge who has ruled it weak and circumstantial. I have been released from house arrest but must remain within Romania,” Andrew Tate posted on Twitter after Friday’s ruling.

Tate will not be allowed to be “in close proximity with any of the other defendants, any of the witnesses or any of the alleged victims and their immediate family”, his spokesperson said, adding: “This positive outcome gives us confidence that more favourable developments are on the horizon.”

Speaking outside his home in Bucharest on Friday, Tate told reporters: “In January, when I was thrown into a jail cell, the media reported and told the world that I was a terrible person, they said that I hurt people and that I make a lot of money from a criminal enterprise.

“Here we stand seven or eight months later and I have not seen a single victim on the news, I have seen lots of girls sticking up for me, lots of people defending me, I’ve not seen a single person stand up and say that I have hurt them, not one.

“It’s very exhausting to continue to perpetuate lies, [and] it’s very hard to keep lies afloat when you have no actual evidence. We’ve been completely innocent since the beginning of this and I have to give absolute faith to the Romanian judicial system for finally making the right decision in letting us free.

“I’m sure in the end we will be absolutely exonerated and everybody who was pushing these lies and reporting things on repeat without any substantial evidence are going to have to analyse within themselves why they decide to try and destroy people’s lives purely for views.

“I’ve done nothing wrong, God knows I’ve done nothing wrong, in my heart I know I’ve done nothing wrong. I think the people at home with a functioning brain understand we’ve done nothing wrong.”

Last month, the brothers launched legal action against a woman in Florida, her parents, and a former resident of their home in Romania and her male friend, accusing the five individuals of conspiring to falsely accuse them of human trafficking and rape.

The pair are seeking at least $5m in damages, claiming that the allegations cost them their freedom and millions of dollars in income from their lucrative social media, podcasting and business ventures.

Romanian investigators said in their indictment that the Tates and two Romanian women formed a criminal group in 2021 “in order to commit the crime of human trafficking” in Romania, the UK and the US.

Investigators say the seven alleged victims were recruited with false declarations of love, but then forced to take part in pornography, and were controlled by “intimidation, [and] constant surveillance” and claims they were in debt. The Tates argue that all of the women were free to leave the estate.

Several women in Britain also are pursuing civil claims against the internet personality, alleging they were victims of sexual violence.

Tate was banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook for alleged hate speech and misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted.

But he remains on Twitter, where he has more than 7 million followers, many of them young men and schoolchildren.

YouGov polling data shared with The Independent in May found that 63 per cent of British adults had heard of Tate – with 6 per cent holding a positive view of him, and around half viewing him negatively.

Of men aged between 18 and 29 who had heard of him, 26 per cent said they agreed with his opinions on women, rising to 28 per cent of 30 to 39-year-olds.

Campaigners told The Independent that Tate is a “legitimising force” for misogynistic ideas and described his luxurious lifestyle as “a dangerous mask” for “violent and misogynistic content”, which is “drip-fed” to his audience.

Additional reporting by agencies