Andrew Tate threatens legal action against accuser

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate has threatened ineligible enactment against astatine slightest 1 of the women making rape and quality trafficking claims against him.

Lawyers for the pistillate successful the US accidental a "cease-and-desist" missive was sent by a US instrumentality steadfast successful December, connected behalf of Andrew Tate and his member Tristan.

The missive threatened to writer the pistillate and her parents for $300m (£249m) if she did not retract her statements.

A lawyer for the Tates said they were pursuing valid claims for defamation.

The BBC has seen a redacted transcript of the letter, seemingly sent connected behalf of the brothers.

"In April 2022," it reads, "you falsely stated to a 3rd enactment that our Client quality trafficked you, abused you and held you against your volition […] You person repeated mendacious and defamatory statements to the police, the media, and different United States national astir the Tate brothers."

Andrew and Tristan Tate are presently being held successful preventative custody successful Romania, portion constabulary analyse allegations of trafficking and rape, which some men deny.

Benjamin Bull - who works for the National Centre connected Sexual Exploitation - says his lawsuit is simply a cardinal witnesser successful the Romanian investigation, and that the missive was designed to bash "one happening and 1 happening only":

"[It] was intended to unopen down the witness; halt the witnesser from bringing grounds guardant successful immoderate proceedings," helium said.

"They privation these young ladies to ascent into a spread and hide, ne'er travel guardant [or] picture what they saw and what happened to them. It's intelligibly an effort to intimidate."

Lawyers for the Tates person confirmed to the BBC that the cease-and-desist missive was sent successful December, arsenic a civilian substance for defamation and slander successful the US, but contradict immoderate intimidation.

Tina Glandian, 1 of their ineligible advisors, said determination was thing abnormal successful them pursuing valid ineligible claims for defamation. "The information that [the Tates] are incarcerated close present is not a ground for them not to prosecute their ineligible rights," she said.

The probe into rape and trafficking allegations is believed to rest, astatine slightest partly, connected the grounds of six women. No charges person yet been brought.

The Tates' ineligible squad person besides revealed that the brothers filed transgression complaints successful Romania past April against 2 women, including the witnesser who received the cease-and-desist missive successful December.

Ms Glandian said the transgression complaints successful April were filed successful effect to allegations that 2 women were being held against their volition by the Tate brothers.

"There was nary grounds whatsoever of that," she said, "which is wherefore [the Tates] were not arrested successful April. [At that time], they were thing but victims of mendacious allegations, and they had each close to record transgression complaints for having their homes raided [and] spot seized."

The results of those transgression complaints are inactive pending, she says.

Benjamin Bull, who represents immoderate of the witnesses successful the existent Tate investigation, says the interaction of ineligible enactment connected his clients has been upsetting and intimidating.

But Dani Pinter, portion of the aforesaid ineligible team, says it is not conscionable the menace of ineligible enactment that is intimidating, but the online harassment galore of her clients person for speaking out.

"Regular, precocious accumulation worth videos, meant to embarrass and harass them, are shared among Tate's followers," she told me.

"Making truly salacious claims, attempting to slut shame them, saying they're liars. But included successful that is their backstage accusation - wherever they work, who their household members are - with the wide volition to incite harassment. And it's working."

The 2 alleged victims she represents person been getting decease threats, she says.

"They're frightened to death. They're some successful hiding. They consciousness they can't settee anywhere, due to the fact that radical are trying to find them."

Prosecutors person been cautious to support the names of the six women successful their lawsuit strictly confidential. But immoderate person had their afloat names published connected societal media.

And the names of 2 witnesses adjacent appeared successful a connection to the BBC from the Tates' US communications team. The BBC is not naming them publicly.

Andrew Tate and his member person nary entree to their societal media portion successful custody, but they've built a immense and loyal web of fans and supporters who are precise progressive online.

Some accounts look to beryllium fully-staffed operations, regularly releasing videos and documents designed to undermine the grounds of witnesses and different women making allegations against the Tates.

Earlier this week, 1 of the astir progressive accounts published the afloat name, societal media handles and WhatsApp messages of 1 of the alleged victims successful the investigation.

The BBC has approached the relationship for comment, but has not yet received a response.

Even those who hardly interruption the aboveground of this communicative tin find themselves a target.

Daria Gusa spoke to the BBC and others astir receiving a backstage connection from Andrew Tate's Instagram relationship erstwhile she was 16 years old. It followed the aforesaid signifier laid retired by him successful online speeches astir however to triumph a woman's attraction and summation power implicit her.

She did not allege that helium had committed immoderate crime.

"I got a clump of messages," she told me. "Most were from radical saying I was lying oregon calling maine a slut."

But she besides received "10 to 15 threats" online.

"I had a feline texting me, telling maine 'I cognize you're studying astatine this university, the docket is published online, I cognize wherever you are'" Daria said.

Several of her friends, who besides look to person had interaction with him, person refused to talk retired astir their experiences, she says.

"It's not conscionable the radical who enactment for him," she explained. "It's that determination are fundamentally millions of men retired determination who truly idolise these people, and would bash thing to support them and their image, truthful I deliberation it's wholly justifiable that truthful galore girls don't privation to talk out."

It is not wide precisely who runs immoderate of the astir progressive accounts defending the Tates, oregon however overmuch practice exists betwixt them.

But the risks for women making nationalist allegations against Andrew Tate tin beryllium high, and they tin travel from galore directions.