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Daily Record
20-05-2025
- Daily Record
Elon Musk's dad killed three men 'saving daughter from having head severed and boiled'
Errol Musk, 79, killed intruders at one of his properties in Johannesburg and he said the consequences of not doing so could have been horrific for his daughter who was just six at the time Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, has recalled a harrowing incident where he shot and killed three men, claiming it was to prevent his daughter from being kidnapped, murdered and cannibalised. In 1998, at one of his properties in Sandton, Johannesburg, Errol fatally shot intruders and has now revealed that they may have intended to kill his then six-year-old daughter, Ali, and gruesomely consume her body parts. The engineer and businessman had visited the rental property with Ali to inspect some painting work ahead of new tenants moving in. Errol recalled that at the time, carrying a weapon in Johannesburg was advisable, so he took his. 357 Magnum revolver, placing it out of reach before preparing a bath for his daughter. Describing the chilling events that followed, he said: "I heard some noise up in the lounge. It was quite a big ranch style house and I went up to the lounge and in the lounge were, my memory is not entirely sure, but about seven or eight men." With the lights on to examine the paintwork, Errol noticed one man who appeared more formally dressed than the others, wearing a jacket and tie. Confronting the group, Errol asked "can I help you" while pondering how they had breached the electric fence encircling the property. And elaborating on the harrowing ordeal during an appearance on the Anything Goes with James English podcast, he added: "He brought up his left arm, I presumed he wanted to shake hands, he had a black jacket on and I saw his hand come up, but then I saw the sparks come from his hands and he fired a weapon at me with his left hand more or less from the hip. "I probably ducked or dived or did something. For 20 years I did karate so I have reactions and I can react quite quickly. Anyway, I must have reacted, and the bullet went past me into a glass door which came crashing down. "I ran down to the passage to get my gun, I went to the bathroom, grabbed my gun, and as they came down the passage, I took out the guy with the tie, the one who shot me to the head. And that bullet went into the chap behind him as well." He recalled a tense standoff before another assailant fired at him. He revealed how the shot was intended for his chest, yet it hit a folding door instead. Errol also returned fire, hitting the man in the hip, which turned out to be fatal. He claimed that a total of 52 bullets were aimed at him, while he fired back just two shots, remarkably taking down three aggressors. Having shot one attacker in the hip, the remainder of the intruders fled, allowing Errol and his daughter Ali, who had stayed close to him throughout the chaos, to make their escape through windows shattered by gunfire, before seeking assistance in the street. Initially charged with manslaughter, a man was acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. Reflecting on the terrifying home invasion, he offered a chilling account. He remarked: "Well, I would have just been killed outright. Ali, they would have turned into muti, you know, they would have eaten her. It means if you eat a finger or something then you have luck for life, you know." Elaborating on the grim details, he continued: "The police said to me that if they would have killed her, they would have used her for muti - it is medicine, witchcraft. Her head would have been dangling from a taxi mirror, they boil the head until it is shrunk, and they hang it from a taxi mirror." In the aftermath, Errol and his daughter sought counselling, where Ali was probed about her feelings towards the shooting. When asked why she seemed unaffected, she reportedly stated: "Well, my dad won." Errol, who suffered hearing loss in one ear due to the gunfire, said they did not pursue further therapy sessions. He recognised, however, that the traumatic event left a lasting impression on Ali as her memories resurfaced. He concluded: "She endured the whole thing stark naked for the next hour and a half as I carried her through the streets with no clothes on. "She was just clung to me, six-years-old naked, her clothes were all in the bathroom. She was very good, she did not cry or scream or anything and we managed to get out into the garden away from the house and I was able to tell her, 'Just keep quiet, don't say anything, just lie flat.'" Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon has previously been candid about his strained relationship with his father, revealing in his biography that he endured emotional abuse.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Elon Musk's dad says killing 3 men stopped daughter being eaten and decapitated
The father of Elon Musk once killed three intruders who he found in his property while his six-year-old daughter was taking a bath - and he said he saved his little girl from a grisly fate The dad of billionaire Elon Musk has opened up about shooting three men to death – claiming it saved his daughter from being abducted, murdered and cannibalised. Errol Musk, 79, killed intruders at one of his properties in Sandton, Johannesburg, in 1998. And he has now said they would have murdered his daughter, Ali, then six, before boiling her head and eating her body parts. The engineer and businessman visited the rental property with Ali to check on painting work that was being done before new tenants moved in. He explained that during that time, it was best to be armed in Johannesburg so brought along his .357 Magnum revolver, putting it on a high ledge before running a bath for his daughter. As for the bloodbath that unfolded next, he said: 'I heard some noise up in the lounge. It was quite a big ranch style house and I went up to the lounge and in the lounge were, my memory is not entirely sure, but about seven or eight men.' The lights were on because they had been looking at the paintwork. Errol said one of the men at the front had a jacket and tie on and looked smarter than the rest. Errol asked 'can I help you' while wondering how the men got through the electric fence that surrounded the property. And speaking on the Anything Goes with James English podcast, he continued: 'He brought up his left arm, I presumed he wanted to shake hands, he had a black jacket on and I saw his hand come up, but then I saw the sparks come from his hands and he fired a weapon at me with his left hand more or less from the hip. 'I probably ducked or dived or did something. For 20 years I did karate so I have reactions and I can react quite quickly. Anyway, I must have reacted, and the bullet went past me into a glass door which came crashing down. 'I ran down to the passage to get my gun, I went to the bathroom, grabbed my gun, and as they came down the passage, I took out the guy with the tie, the one who shot me to the head. And that bullet went into the chap behind him as well.' He said there was then a standoff before another man fired at him. He described how it would have struck his chest, but instead it clattered into a folding door. Errol also fired a shot in return, striking him in the hip, which proved to be fatal. In total, Errol claimed 52 bullets were fired his way, while he only blasted two shots in response, which managed to kill three of the men. After hitting one man in the hip, the intruders fled, and Errol and his daughter, Ali, who had clung on to him, escaped through windows that had been shot out before getting help on the street. He was initially charged with manslaughter but was acquitted for acting in self-defense. And opening up about what would have happened if he had not been armed during the intrusion, he painted a dark picture. He said: 'Well, I would have just been killed outright. Ali, they would have turned into muti, you know, they would have eaten her. It means if you eat a finger or something then you have luck for life, you know.' Asked to explain further, he added: 'The police said to me that if they would have killed her, they would have used her for muti - it is medicine, witchcraft. 'Her head would have been dangling from a taxi mirror, they boil the head until it is shrunk, and they hang it from a taxi mirror.' Days after the shooting, Errol and his daughter attended a counselling session, and he claimed Ali was questioned on how she felt about the shooting. And asked why she was 'fine' over it, she apparently said: 'Well, my dad won.' Errol, who lost hearing in his right ear because of the blasts, said they never returned for further counselling. But he acknowledged the shooting did have an impact on Ali for years to come, once her memories returned. He added: 'She endured the whole thing stark naked for the next hour and a half as I carried her through the streets with no clothes on. 'She was just clung to me, six-years-old naked, her clothes were all in the bathroom. She was very good, she did not cry or scream or anything and we managed to get out into the garden away from the house and I was able to tell her, 'Just keep quiet, don't say anything, just lie flat.'' Tesla CEO Elon meanwhile has been open in the past about his troubled relationship with his father and in his biography, he shared examples of emotional abuse growing up. And speaking to Rolling Stone, the owner of X, formerly Twitter, said: 'In my experience, there is nothing you can do. Nothing, nothing. I wish. I've tried everything. I tried threats, rewards, intellectual arguments, emotional arguments, everything to try to change my father for the better, and he... no way, it just got worse.' And in 2022, Elon took to X to say he had been giving his father money since the 1990s 'on condition that he did not do bad things'. However, he added: 'Unfortunately, he did do bad things.' In a different discussion, Elon called his father a 'terrible human being' and added: 'Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.'
The Independent
05-03-2025
- The Independent
Andrew Tate timeline: From kickboxing and webcams to criminal probe in Florida
Andrew Tate, the former kickboxing world champion turned social media influencer, is facing a criminal investigation in Florida. The state's Attorney General James Uthmeier has said his office is working with law enforcement to conduct an inquiry into Tate and his brother Tristan, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania. The brothers left Europe and landed in Fort Lauderdale in late February. They were first arrested three years ago on allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. They have denied all claims. The White House reportedly pressured the Romanian government to lift a travel ban on the brothers, who are both dual US-UK citizens. Andrew, 38, and Tristan, 36, deny all wrongdoing across a string of civil and criminal cases relating to sex abuse and trafficking in the UK, US and Romania. The case in Romania – in which two Romanian women were also charged – relates to rape and human trafficking offences, which includes organising an alleged criminal group to sexually exploit women. The case was sent back to prosecutors in December due to procedural issues and there is no date currently set for a trial. Tate was released from house arrest in January, after he was subjected to it when a second criminal case was brought against the pair in Romania last August. But he has also seen his social media accounts banned over inflammatory statements he has made, often appearing to advocate violence against women, which the platforms ruled violated their policies. He is frequently accused of embodying toxic masculinity and misogyny, having claimed that women cannot drive, that they belong in the home and are a man's property. He told the Anything Goes with James English podcast in June 2021 that he was 'absolutely sexist' and 'absolutely a misogynist', but claimed on Piers Morgan Uncensored more recently that he was 'absolutely not'. Teachers are increasingly concerned about the spread of his messages of male empowerment and his potentially radicalising influence on impressionable teenage boys. Here is what you need to know about the life and times of Andrew Tate. 1986 Emory Andrew Tate III is born in Washington, DC, on 1 December to Emory Tate Jr, a sergeant of the US Air Force and a chess International Master, and his English wife Eileen, a catering assistant. Initially raising their children in Chicago, Illinois, the couple divorced in 1997, at which point Eileen Tate relocated to a council estate in Luton, Bedfordshire, with her young family, where she reportedly still lives. Tate has described his mother as 'my hero' but says they were 'broke as a joke' during his childhood. 2005 The young Andrew Tate starts boxing and martial arts training while reportedly also working as a TV producer. 2009 Tate wins the British ISKA Full Contact Cruiserweight Championship in Derby, going by the name King Cobra. 2011 Wins his first ISKA world title by beating Jean-Luc Benoit via knockout. As his celebrity begins to grow, Tate joins Twitter, initially as @Cobratate. 2012 Tate and his brother Tristan begin their first adult webcam business, which employs lingerie-clad models to engage in chat sessions with men. In a later interview with The Mirror in March 2022, the brothers joke that their webcam ventures, which charge customers $4 (£3.30) an hour, are 'a total scam' because the models featured often tell lonely male callers 'fake sob stories' to elicit sympathy and earn larger tips. Tristan Tate tells the newspaper that the brothers are protected by two lines in their terms and conditions: 'One is broadcasting is 'for entertainment purposes only'. That means if a model says she has a sick dog or a sick grandma it doesn't have to be true. 'The next is that all cash given to models is 'a voluntary sign of gratitude for their time broadcasting'.' 2013 Wins his second ISKA world title in a 12-round match against Vincent Petitjean. 2016 Tate is invited onto the 17th season of the reality TV show Big Brother, but quickly attracts scrutiny over his track record of controversial statements. He is removed from the house after just six days when a video surfaces showing him hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, both he and the woman featured in the clip say they are friends and that the actions depicted were consensual. 2017 Andrew Tate moves to Bucharest, Romania, with Tristan, setting up home in a heavily-fortified suburban compound and claiming the UK has 'gone downhill'. He says the prospect of avoiding rape charges more easily is 'probably 40 per cent of the reason' for moving to Central Europe, adding: 'I'm not a f***ing rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free. 'If you're a man living in England or Germany or America or any of the Western world right now you've decided to live in a country where any woman … at any point in the future can destroy your life.' He later tells The Times this was intended as an attack on litigation culture, commenting: 'A dying empire adopts laws like a sick man adopts medicine.' Having already stirred controversy on Twitter by claiming depression 'isn't real', Tate is permanently suspended from the platform after saying on 18 October that women should 'bear some responsibility' for being sexually assaulted, part of a thread commenting on the Harvey Weinstein affair. 'I don't agree with being banned, people get banned from Twitter all the time and make new profiles,' he said subsequently. 'I'm not inciting violence, promoting terrorism or harassing anyone. This is censorship of free speech. I've never had specific tweets banned or been cautioned.' The controversy boosts his profile among far-right conservatives, bringing him into the company of Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson and Donald Trump Jr in America and Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson in the UK. August 2022 Having continued to build his following on social media and in right-wing media, a campaign to de-platform Tate resulted in his being banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. In a 'final' video, Tate claims that many of the criticisms levied at him are based on clips that have been misrepresented. 'I have some responsibility to bear. I still blame myself, because my rise has been so meteoric and I became so famous so quickly,' he said. 'If there was as many people cutting up videos like they did mine and those people had a negative agenda, they could make Mickey Mouse look evil, you could make anyone look bad.' His message is dismissed by Hope Not Hate's research director, Joe Mulhall, who tells The Independent the clip attempts 'to completely rewrite his behaviour, justify the unjustifiable, and … takes no responsibility'. That same month, financial services company Stripe pulls out of processing subscriptions for Hustler's University, another Tate business billed as an online 'academy' where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from online industries such as cryptocurrency. The venture reportedly has around 100,000 paying subscribers who are charged around $49 (£40) per month but Stripe's decision prompts it to shut its affiliate marketing programme, which had encouraged the spread of Tate videos across social networks. October 2022 After a video of Tate praying at a mosque in Dubai with MMA fighter Tam Khan goes viral, he announces in a post on Gettr that he has converted to Islam. November 2022 Tate is reinstated on Twitter by new owner Elon Musk, along with other previously banned right-wing figures including Donald Trump, Kanye West and Jordan Peterson. 28 December 2022 Tate posts his now-infamous tweet to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, boasting about his Bugatti and Ferraris and asking for her email address so he can 'send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions'. 'Yes, please do enlighten me,' she responds. 'Email me at smalldickenergy@ The internet duly erupts, prompting Tate to respond initially rather weakly by asking 'How dare you?!'. He then returned with a video of himself sporting a dressing gown and smoking a cigar claiming to believe the joke has backfired on Thunberg and accusing the 'global matrix' of deploying a 'bot farm' to send her tweet viral. 29 December 2022 Tate and his brother are detained in Romania for 30 days, along with two women, on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. Prosecutors say they have found six women who claim to have been sexually exploited by the suspects for the purpose of creating internet pornography. 30 December 2022 As excitable social media rumours suggest that a Jerry's Pizza box featured in Tate's video inadvertently revealed his location to the authorities, Thunberg tweets about him again, declaring: 'This is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes.' 3 January 2023 Tate's valuable luxury car collection is seized by the Romanian authorities. 8 January 2023 One of the two Tate brothers is allegedly hospitalised after a medical check-up in jail, according to Antena 3, a CNN-partnered Romania news site. A cryptic tweet follows from Tate's account, although it is unclear if he wrote it himself, which states: 'The Matrix has attacked me. But they misunderstand, you cannot kill an idea. Hard to Kill.' 10 January 2023 Tate appears in court in Bucharest to appeal his detention, arriving wearing handcuffs and bearing a copy of the Quran. His lawyers insist there is 'no evidence' against him but the judge rules against him. 31 March 2023 Tate wins an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest after the Bucharest Court of Appeal rules against a judge's decision to extend his incarceration for a fourth time for another 30 days. 20 June 2023 Andrew and Tristan Tate are formally charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The pair are accused, along with the two Romanian women, of tricking seven alleged victims with false declarations of love and transporting them to take part in pornography. The women were allegedly controlled by 'intimidation, constant surveillance' and claims they were in debt, the prosecution says. 13 July 2023 The Tates launch a $5m lawsuit against a Florida woman whom they claim falsely accused them of imprisoning her in Romania, leading to their arrest there on human trafficking charges. 4 August 2023 Andrew Tate's appeal against house arrest succeeds. Speaking to reporters outside court two days earlier, the influencer had promised: 'The truth will be known very soon.' 8 January 2024 The controversial influencer regains access to his supercars, designer watches and properties after a court overturned a decision to seize his assets. Prosecutors had previously seized 15 luxury vehicles, more than 10 properties and 14 designer watches as well as two blocks of precious metal. 'They took a lot of stuff... 15 cars, and they took a lot of things of a lot of value,' Tate tells reporters. 'It'd be nice to get my things back.' 12 March Both brothers are arrested in Romania over allegations of sexual aggression that date back to 2012 to 2015 and took place within the UK. They are detained for 24 hours and notified of a European arrest warrant that had been issued by Westminster Magistrates Court, with the Bucharest Court of Appeal set to decide whether to execute the warrants. Their extradition to the UK will be arranged after the Romania case is complete. Both Andrew and Tristan Tate deny the allegations, with their representatives saying they are 'fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve'. 8 May Andrew Tate is served with civil proceedings papers at his home in Romania. Lawyers on behalf of four British women say the alleged victims are bringing a case against Tate at the High Court in the UK, after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute in 2019. McCue Jury and Partners say all four women allege Tate raped and assaulted them and are seeking 'damages for injuries they suffered as a result'. 22 August Andrew Tate is placed back under house arrest by a Romanian judge as prosecutors investigate new allegations concerning sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons. Tristan Tate is placed under special judicial control, and another four people are detained in connection to the case. Both brothers strongly deny the accusations. The day before, authorities seize cash, luxury watches, laptops, hard drives, documents and 16 luxury cars during a search of four properties. 18 December A court rules that Devon and Cornwall Police can seize more than £2 million from the Tate brothers after they failed to pay any tax in £21 million of revenue from their online business. Devon and Cornwall Police made a legal bid to seize the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J. In his judgment handed down at Westminster Magistrates' Court, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring says what appears to be a 'complex financial matrix' is actually a 'straightforward cheat of the revenue'. 19 December A court in Romania rules the first case involving the Tate brothers and two other women cannot proceed to trial due to multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case is sent back to prosecutors for further review. 14 January 2025 Andrew Tate is released from house arrest pending the outcome of a criminal investigation, and is placed under judicial control. This means he can travel within Romania "while adhering to the required legal conditions", according to the BBC. 10 February An American woman accuses the Tate brothers of coercing her to Romania under false pretences, attempting to 'recruit her' into sex work and then 'bullying and harassing' her in a defamation suit. Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, tells The Independent in an email: '[The center's] civil suit represents a poorly constructed and desperate attempt to relitigate the failed Romanian criminal case in a U.S. court. The unidentified woman's lawyer, Dani Pinter, tells The Independent:"The Tate Brothers supposedly sued Jane Doe because they claimed her testimony to Romanian authorities was a lie. Now, when for the first time Jane Doe tells her side of the story, they threaten sanctions. I think that speaks for itself as to where the truth lies." 27 February Andrew and Tristan Tate fly out of Romania following reports that the Trump administration had pressed the Bucharest government to lift travel restrictions. The brothers leave the country after 5am local time on a private jet from Baneasa airport. Romania's anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, says prosecutors approved a 'request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania', adding: 'These include the requirement to appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned. 'The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure.' 4 March The office of Florida 's attorney general announces it is opening a criminal investigation into the Tate brothers, days after they returned to the US. 'Based on a thorough review of the evidence, I've directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to execute search warrants and issue subpoenas in the now-active criminal investigation into the Tate brothers,' Attorney General James Uthmeier says.
The Independent
28-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Andrew Tate timeline: From Big Brother assault scandal to human traffiking charges
Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxing world champion turned social media influencer who is charged with human trafficking in Romania, has left for the US. Tate, alongside his brother Tristan, were first arrested three years ago on allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. They denied all claims. The White House reportedly pressured the Romanian government to lift the travel restrictions on the Tate brothers, who are both dual US-UK citizens. The Tate brothers flew out of the capital Bucharest on Thursday morning after their travel ban was lifted. DIICOT, the anti-organised crime agency in Romania, said prosecutors had approved a 'request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania'. It is believed that the brothers still remain under investigation and are expected to return to Romania at the end of March. Andrew, 38 and Tristan, 36, deny all wrongdoing across a string of civil and criminal cases relating to sex abuse and trafficking in the UK, US and Romania. The case in Romania - in which two Romanian women were also charged - relates to rape and human trafficking offences, which includes organising an alleged criminal group to sexually exploit women. The case was sent back to prosecutors in December due to procedural issues and there is no current date set for a trial. Tate was released from house arrest in January, after he was subjected to it when a second criminal case was brought against the pair in Romania last August. But he has also seen his accounts banned over inflammatory statements he has made, often appearing to advocate violence against women, which the platforms ruled violated their policies. He is frequently accused of embodying toxic masculinity and misogyny, having claimed that women cannot drive, belong in the home and are a man's property. He told the Anything Goes with James English podcast in June 2021 that he was 'absolutely sexist' and 'absolutely a misogynist', only to then claim on Piers Morgan Uncensored more recently that he was 'absolutely not'. Teachers are increasingly concerned about the spread of his messages of male empowerment and his potentially radicalising influence on impressionable teenage boys. Here is a brief introduction to the life and times of Andrew Tate. 1986 Emory Andrew Tate III was born in Washington, DC, on 1 December to Emory Tate Jr, a sergeant of the US Air Force and a chess International Master, and his English wife Eileen, a catering assistant. Initially raising their children in Chicago, Illinois, the couple divorced in 1997, at which point Eileen Tate relocated to a council estate in Luton, Bedfordshire, with her young family, where she reportedly still lives. Tate has described his mother as 'my hero' but says they were 'broke as a joke' during his childhood. 2005 The young Andrew Tate starts boxing and martial arts training while reportedly also working as a TV producer. 2009 Earns his first kickboxing championship when he wins the British ISKA Full Contact Cruiserweight Championship in Derby, going by the name King Cobra. 2011 Wins his first ISKA world title by beating Jean-Luc Benoit via knockout. As his celebrity begins to grow, Tate joins Twitter, initially as @Cobratate. 2012 Tate and his brother Tristan begin their first adult webcam business employing lingerie-clad models to engage in chat sessions with men. In a later interview with The Mirror in March 2022, the brothers joke that their webcam ventures, which charge customers $4 (£3.30) an hour, are 'a total scam' because the models featured often tell lonely male callers 'fake sob stories' to elicit sympathy and earn larger tips. Tristan Tate tells the newspaper the brothers are protected by two lines in their terms and conditions: 'One is broadcasting is 'for entertainment purposes only'. That means if a model says she has a sick dog or a sick grandma it doesn't have to be true. 'The next is that all cash given to models is 'a voluntary sign of gratitude for their time broadcasting'.' 2013 Wins his second ISKA world title in a 12-round match against Vincent Petitjean. 2016 Invited onto the 17th season of the reality TV show Big Brother, Tate quickly attracts scrutiny over his track record of controversial statements. He is removed from the house after just six days when a video surfaces showing him hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, both he and the woman featured in the clip say they are friends and that the actions depicted were consensual. 2017 He moves to Bucharest, Romania, with Tristan, setting up home in a heavily-fortified suburban compound and claiming the UK has 'gone downhill'. He said the prospect of avoiding rape charges more easily was 'probably 40 per cent of the reason' for moving to Central Europe, adding: 'I'm not a f***ing rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free. 'If you're a man living in England or Germany or America or any of the Western world right now you've decided to live in a country where any woman … at any point in the future can destroy your life.' He later tells The Times this was intended as an attack on litigation culture, commenting: 'A dying empire adopts laws like a sick man adopts medicine.' Having already stirred controversy on Twitter by claiming depression 'isn't real', Tate is permanently suspended from the platform after saying on 18 October that women should 'bear some responsibility' for being sexually assaulted, part of a thread commenting on the Harvey Weinstein affair. 'I don't agree with being banned, people get banned from Twitter all the time and make new profiles,' he said subsequently. 'I'm not inciting violence, promoting terrorism or harassing anyone. This is censorship of free speech. I've never had specific tweets banned or been cautioned.' The controversy boosts his profile among far-right conservatives, bringing him into the company of Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson and Donald Trump Jr in America and Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson in the UK. August 2022 Having continued to build his following on social media and in right-wing media, a campaign to de-platform Tate resulted in his being banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. In a 'final' video, Tate claims that many of the criticisms levied at him are based on clips that have been misrepresented. 'I have some responsibility to bear. I still blame myself, because my rise has been so meteoric and I became so famous so quickly,' he said. 'If there was as many people cutting up videos like they did mine and those people had a negative agenda, they could make Mickey Mouse look evil, you could make anyone look bad.' His message is dismissed by Hope Not Hate's research director, Joe Mulhall, who tells The Independent the clip attempts 'to completely rewrite his behaviour, justify the unjustifiable, and … takes no responsibility'. That same month, financial services company Stripe pulls out of processing subscriptions for Hustler's University, another Tate business billed as an online 'academy' where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from online industries such as cryptocurrency. The venture reportedly has around 100,000 paying subscribers who are charged around $49 (£40) per month but Stripe's decision prompts it to shut its affiliate marketing programme, which had encouraged the spread of Tate videos across social networks. October 2022 After a video of Tate praying at a mosque in Dubai with MMA fighter Tam Khan goes viral, he announces he has converted to Islam in a post on Gettr. November 2022 Tate is reinstated on Twitter by new owner Elon Musk, along with other previously banned right-wing figures including Donald Trump, Kanye West and Jordan Peterson. 28 December 2022 Shortly after Christmas, Tate posts his now-infamous tweet to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, boasting about his Bugatti and Ferraris and asking for her email address so he can 'send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions'. 'Yes, please do enlighten me,' she responded. 'Email me at smalldickenergy@ The internet duly erupts, prompting Tate to respond initially rather weakly by asking 'How dare you?!'. He then returned with a video of himself sporting a dressing gown and smoking a cigar claiming to believe the joke has backfired on Thunberg and accusing the 'global matrix' of deploying a 'bot farm' to send her tweet viral. 29 December 2022 A day later, Tate and his brother are detained in Romania for 30 days, along with two women, on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. Prosecutors say they have found six women who claim to have been sexually exploited by the suspects for the purpose of creating internet pornography. An investigation has reportedly been underway since April. 30 December 2022 As excitable social media rumours suggest that a Jerry's Pizza box featured in Tate's video inadvertently revealed his location to the authorities, Thunberg tweets about him again, declaring: 'This is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes.' 3 January 2023 Tate's valuable luxury car collection is seized by the Romanian authorities. 8 January 2023 One of the two Tate brothers is allegedly hospitalised after a medical check-up in jail, according to Antena 3, a CNN-partnered Romania news site. A cryptic tweet follows from Tate's account, although it is unclear if he wrote it himself, which states: 'The Matrix has attacked me. But they misunderstand, you cannot kill an idea. Hard to Kill.' 10 January 2023 Tate appears in court in Bucharest to appeal his detention, arriving wearing handcuffs and bearing a copy of the Quran. His lawyers insist there is 'no evidence' against him but the judge rules against him. 31 March 2023 Tate wins an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest after the Bucharest Court of Appeal rules against a judge's decision to extend his incarceration for a fourth time for another 30 days. 20 June 2023 Andrew and Tristan Tate are formally charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The pair are accused, along with the two Romanian women, of tricking seven alleged victims with false declarations of love and transporting them to take part in pornography. The women were allegedly controlled by 'intimidation, constant surveillance' and claims they were in debt, the prosecution says. 13 July 2023 The Tates launch a $5m lawsuit against a Florida woman whom they claim falsely accused them of imprisoning her in Romania, leading to their arrest there on human trafficking charges. 4 August 2023 Andrew Tate's appeal against house arrest succeeds. Speaking to reporters outside court two days earlier, the influencer had promised: 'The truth will be known very soon.' 8 January 2024 The controversial influencer regained access to his supercars, designer watches and properties after a court overturned a decision to seize his assets. Prosecutors had previously seized 15 luxury vehicles, more than 10 properties and 14 designer watches as well as two blocks of precious metal. Tate, a social media influencer known for his misogynistic videos, told reporters afterwards: 'They took a lot of stuff... 15 cars, and they took a lot of things of a lot of value. 'It'd be nice to get my things back.' 12 March Both brothers have been arrested in Romania over allegations of sexual aggression that date back to 2012 to 2015 and took place within the UK. They were detained for 24 hours and notified of a European arrest warrant that had been issued by Westminster Magistrates Court, with the Bucharest Court of Appeal set to decide whether to execute the warrants. Their extradition to the UK will be arranged after the Romania case is complete. Both Andrew and Tristan Tate deny the allegations, with their representatives saying they were 'fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve'. 8 May Andrew Tate is been served with civil proceedings papers at his home in Romania. Lawyers on behalf of four British women said the alleged victims are bringing a case against Tate at the High Court in the UK, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute in 2019. McCue Jury and Partners said all four women allege Tate raped and assaulted them and are seeking 'damages for injuries they suffered as a result'. 22 August Andrew Tate is placed back under house arrest by a Romanian judge as prosecutors investigate new allegations concerning sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons. Tristan Tate was placed under special judicial control, and another four people were detained in connection to the case. Both brothers strongly denied the accusations. The day before, authorities seized cash, luxury watches, laptops, hard drives documents and 16 luxury cars during a search of four properties. 18 December A court rules that Devon and Cornwall Police can seize more than £2 million from the Tate brothers after they failed to pay any tax in £21 million of revenue from their online business. Devon and Cornwall Police made a legal bid to seize the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J. In his judgment handed down at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said what appeared to be a 'complex financial matrix' was actually a 'straightforward cheat of the revenue'. 19 December A court in Romania rules the first case involving the Tate brothers and two other women cannot proceed to trial due to multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case was sent back to prosecutors for further review, but it did not mean the defendants could walk free. 14 January 2025 Andrew Tate is released from house arrest pending the outcome of a criminal investigation, and is now under judicial control. This means he can travel within Romania "while adhering to the required legal conditions", according to the BBC. 10 February An American woman accuses the Tate brothers of coercing her to Romania under false pretences, attempting to 'recruit her' into a sex work and then 'bullying and harassing' her in a defamation suit. The civil suit was filed Monday in a Florida court, where the Tate brothers — known online for their misogynistic comments — sued the unnamed woman for defamation in 2023. Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, told The Independent in an email: '[The center's] civil suit represents a poorly constructed and desperate attempt to relitigate the failed Romanian criminal case in a U.S. court. The unidentified woman's lawyer, Dani Pinter, told The Independent:"The Tate Brothers supposedly sued Jane Doe because they claimed her testimony to Romanian authorities was a lie. Now, when for the first time Jane Doe tells her side of the story, they threaten sanctions. I think that speaks for itself as to where the truth lies." 27 February Andrew and Tristan Tate fly out of Romania following reports that the Trump administration had pressed the Bucharest government to lift travel restrictions. A Romanian official said the decision to lift their travel ban had been made by prosecutors. The brothers left the country after 5am local time on a private jet from Baneasa airport. Local media reported the brothers were on a flight to Florida, citing 'airport sources'. Romania's anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, said prosecutors approved a 'request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania', adding: 'These include the requirement to appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned. 'The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Tate: A timeline of his rise and fall
Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxing world champion turned social media influencer who is charged with human trafficking in Romania, has left for the US. Tate, alongside his brother Tristan, were first arrested three years ago on allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. They denied all claims. The White House reportedly pressured the Romanian government to lift the travel restrictions on the Tate brothers, who are both dual US-UK citizens. The Tate brothers flew out of the capital Bucharest on Thursday morning after their travel ban was lifted. DIICOT, the anti-organised crime agency in Romania, said prosecutors had approved a 'request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania'. It is believed that the brothers still remain under investigation and are expected to return to Romania at the end of March. Andrew, 38 and Tristan, 36, deny all wrongdoing across a string of civil and criminal cases relating to sex abuse and trafficking in the UK, US and Romania. The case in Romania - in which two Romanian women were also charged - relates to rape and human trafficking offences, which includes organising an alleged criminal group to sexually exploit women. The case was sent back to prosecutors in December due to procedural issues and there is no current date set for a trial. Tate was released from house arrest in January, after he was subjected to it when a second criminal case was brought against the pair in Romania last August. But he has also seen his accounts banned over inflammatory statements he has made, often appearing to advocate violence against women, which the platforms ruled violated their policies. He is frequently accused of embodying toxic masculinity and misogyny, having claimed that women cannot drive, belong in the home and are a man's property. He told the Anything Goes with James English podcast in June 2021 that he was 'absolutely sexist' and 'absolutely a misogynist', only to then claim on Piers Morgan Uncensored more recently that he was 'absolutely not'. Teachers are increasingly concerned about the spread of his messages of male empowerment and his potentially radicalising influence on impressionable teenage boys. Here is a brief introduction to the life and times of Andrew Tate. 1986 Emory Andrew Tate III was born in Washington, DC, on 1 December to Emory Tate Jr, a sergeant of the US Air Force and a chess International Master, and his English wife Eileen, a catering assistant. Initially raising their children in Chicago, Illinois, the couple divorced in 1997, at which point Eileen Tate relocated to a council estate in Luton, Bedfordshire, with her young family, where she reportedly still lives. Tate has described his mother as 'my hero' but says they were 'broke as a joke' during his childhood. 2005 The young Andrew Tate starts boxing and martial arts training while reportedly also working as a TV producer. 2009 Earns his first kickboxing championship when he wins the British ISKA Full Contact Cruiserweight Championship in Derby, going by the name King Cobra. 2011 Wins his first ISKA world title by beating Jean-Luc Benoit via knockout. As his celebrity begins to grow, Tate joins Twitter, initially as @Cobratate. 2012 Tate and his brother Tristan begin their first adult webcam business employing lingerie-clad models to engage in chat sessions with men. In a later interview with The Mirror in March 2022, the brothers joke that their webcam ventures, which charge customers $4 (£3.30) an hour, are 'a total scam' because the models featured often tell lonely male callers 'fake sob stories' to elicit sympathy and earn larger tips. Tristan Tate tells the newspaper the brothers are protected by two lines in their terms and conditions: 'One is broadcasting is 'for entertainment purposes only'. That means if a model says she has a sick dog or a sick grandma it doesn't have to be true. 'The next is that all cash given to models is 'a voluntary sign of gratitude for their time broadcasting'.' 2013 Wins his second ISKA world title in a 12-round match against Vincent Petitjean. 2016 Invited onto the 17th season of the reality TV show Big Brother, Tate quickly attracts scrutiny over his track record of controversial statements. He is removed from the house after just six days when a video surfaces showing him hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, both he and the woman featured in the clip say they are friends and that the actions depicted were consensual. 2017 He moves to Bucharest, Romania, with Tristan, setting up home in a heavily-fortified suburban compound and claiming the UK has 'gone downhill'. He said the prospect of avoiding rape charges more easily was 'probably 40 per cent of the reason' for moving to Central Europe, adding: 'I'm not a f***ing rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free. 'If you're a man living in England or Germany or America or any of the Western world right now you've decided to live in a country where any woman … at any point in the future can destroy your life.' He later tells The Times this was intended as an attack on litigation culture, commenting: 'A dying empire adopts laws like a sick man adopts medicine.' Having already stirred controversy on Twitter by claiming depression 'isn't real', Tate is permanently suspended from the platform after saying on 18 October that women should 'bear some responsibility' for being sexually assaulted, part of a thread commenting on the Harvey Weinstein affair. 'I don't agree with being banned, people get banned from Twitter all the time and make new profiles,' he said subsequently. 'I'm not inciting violence, promoting terrorism or harassing anyone. This is censorship of free speech. I've never had specific tweets banned or been cautioned.' The controversy boosts his profile among far-right conservatives, bringing him into the company of Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson and Donald Trump Jr in America and Nigel Farage and Tommy Robinson in the UK. August 2022 Having continued to build his following on social media and in right-wing media, a campaign to de-platform Tate resulted in his being banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. In a 'final' video, Tate claims that many of the criticisms levied at him are based on clips that have been misrepresented. 'I have some responsibility to bear. I still blame myself, because my rise has been so meteoric and I became so famous so quickly,' he said. 'If there was as many people cutting up videos like they did mine and those people had a negative agenda, they could make Mickey Mouse look evil, you could make anyone look bad.' His message is dismissed by Hope Not Hate's research director, Joe Mulhall, who tells The Independent the clip attempts 'to completely rewrite his behaviour, justify the unjustifiable, and … takes no responsibility'. That same month, financial services company Stripe pulls out of processing subscriptions for Hustler's University, another Tate business billed as an online 'academy' where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from online industries such as cryptocurrency. The venture reportedly has around 100,000 paying subscribers who are charged around $49 (£40) per month but Stripe's decision prompts it to shut its affiliate marketing programme, which had encouraged the spread of Tate videos across social networks. October 2022 After a video of Tate praying at a mosque in Dubai with MMA fighter Tam Khan goes viral, he announces he has converted to Islam in a post on Gettr. November 2022 Tate is reinstated on Twitter by new owner Elon Musk, along with other previously banned right-wing figures including Donald Trump, Kanye West and Jordan Peterson. 28 December 2022 Shortly after Christmas, Tate posts his now-infamous tweet to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, boasting about his Bugatti and Ferraris and asking for her email address so he can 'send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions'. 'Yes, please do enlighten me,' she responded. 'Email me at smalldickenergy@ The internet duly erupts, prompting Tate to respond initially rather weakly by asking 'How dare you?!'. He then returned with a video of himself sporting a dressing gown and smoking a cigar claiming to believe the joke has backfired on Thunberg and accusing the 'global matrix' of deploying a 'bot farm' to send her tweet viral. 29 December 2022 A day later, Tate and his brother are detained in Romania for 30 days, along with two women, on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. Prosecutors say they have found six women who claim to have been sexually exploited by the suspects for the purpose of creating internet pornography. An investigation has reportedly been underway since April. 30 December 2022 As excitable social media rumours suggest that a Jerry's Pizza box featured in Tate's video inadvertently revealed his location to the authorities, Thunberg tweets about him again, declaring: 'This is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes.' 3 January 2023 Tate's valuable luxury car collection is seized by the Romanian authorities. 8 January 2023 One of the two Tate brothers is allegedly hospitalised after a medical check-up in jail, according to Antena 3, a CNN-partnered Romania news site. A cryptic tweet follows from Tate's account, although it is unclear if he wrote it himself, which states: 'The Matrix has attacked me. But they misunderstand, you cannot kill an idea. Hard to Kill.' 10 January 2023 Tate appears in court in Bucharest to appeal his detention, arriving wearing handcuffs and bearing a copy of the Quran. His lawyers insist there is 'no evidence' against him but the judge rules against him. 31 March 2023 Tate wins an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest after the Bucharest Court of Appeal rules against a judge's decision to extend his incarceration for a fourth time for another 30 days. 20 June 2023 Andrew and Tristan Tate are formally charged with human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The pair are accused, along with the two Romanian women, of tricking seven alleged victims with false declarations of love and transporting them to take part in pornography. The women were allegedly controlled by 'intimidation, constant surveillance' and claims they were in debt, the prosecution says. 13 July 2023 The Tates launch a $5m lawsuit against a Florida woman whom they claim falsely accused them of imprisoning her in Romania, leading to their arrest there on human trafficking charges. 4 August 2023 Andrew Tate's appeal against house arrest succeeds. Speaking to reporters outside court two days earlier, the influencer had promised: 'The truth will be known very soon.' 8 January 2024 The controversial influencer regained access to his supercars, designer watches and properties after a court overturned a decision to seize his assets. Prosecutors had previously seized 15 luxury vehicles, more than 10 properties and 14 designer watches as well as two blocks of precious metal. Tate, a social media influencer known for his misogynistic videos, told reporters afterwards: 'They took a lot of stuff... 15 cars, and they took a lot of things of a lot of value. 'It'd be nice to get my things back.' 12 March Both brothers have been arrested in Romania over allegations of sexual aggression that date back to 2012 to 2015 and took place within the UK. They were detained for 24 hours and notified of a European arrest warrant that had been issued by Westminster Magistrates Court, with the Bucharest Court of Appeal set to decide whether to execute the warrants. Their extradition to the UK will be arranged after the Romania case is complete. Both Andrew and Tristan Tate deny the allegations, with their representatives saying they were 'fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve'. 8 May Andrew Tate is been served with civil proceedings papers at his home in Romania. Lawyers on behalf of four British women said the alleged victims are bringing a case against Tate at the High Court in the UK, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute in 2019. McCue Jury and Partners said all four women allege Tate raped and assaulted them and are seeking 'damages for injuries they suffered as a result'. 22 August Andrew Tate is placed back under house arrest by a Romanian judge as prosecutors investigate new allegations concerning sex with a minor and trafficking underage persons. Tristan Tate was placed under special judicial control, and another four people were detained in connection to the case. Both brothers strongly denied the accusations. The day before, authorities seized cash, luxury watches, laptops, hard drives documents and 16 luxury cars during a search of four properties. 18 December A court rules that Devon and Cornwall Police can seize more than £2 million from the Tate brothers after they failed to pay any tax in £21 million of revenue from their online business. Devon and Cornwall Police made a legal bid to seize the money, held in seven frozen bank accounts, from the Tates and a woman identified only as J. In his judgment handed down at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said what appeared to be a 'complex financial matrix' was actually a 'straightforward cheat of the revenue'. 19 December A court in Romania rules the first case involving the Tate brothers and two other women cannot proceed to trial due to multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case was sent back to prosecutors for further review, but it did not mean the defendants could walk free. 14 January 2025 Andrew Tate is released from house arrest pending the outcome of a criminal investigation, and is now under judicial control. This means he can travel within Romania "while adhering to the required legal conditions", according to the BBC. 10 February An American woman accuses the Tate brothers of coercing her to Romania under false pretences, attempting to 'recruit her' into a sex work and then 'bullying and harassing' her in a defamation suit. The civil suit was filed Monday in a Florida court, where the Tate brothers — known online for their misogynistic comments — sued the unnamed woman for defamation in 2023. Joseph McBride, a lawyer for the Tate brothers, told The Independent in an email: '[The center's] civil suit represents a poorly constructed and desperate attempt to relitigate the failed Romanian criminal case in a U.S. court. The unidentified woman's lawyer, Dani Pinter, told The Independent: "The Tate Brothers supposedly sued Jane Doe because they claimed her testimony to Romanian authorities was a lie. Now, when for the first time Jane Doe tells her side of the story, they threaten sanctions. I think that speaks for itself as to where the truth lies." 27 February Andrew and Tristan Tate fly out of Romania following reports that the Trump administration had pressed the Bucharest government to lift travel restrictions. A Romanian official said the decision to lift their travel ban had been made by prosecutors. The brothers left the country after 5am local time on a private jet from Baneasa airport. Local media reported the brothers were on a flight to Florida, citing 'airport sources'. Romania's anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, said prosecutors approved a 'request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania', adding: 'These include the requirement to appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned. 'The defendants have been warned that deliberately violating these obligations may result in judicial control being replaced with a stricter deprivation of liberty measure.'
