Tate brothers to face 21 UK charges, including rape, after extradition

Andrew and Tristan Tate lost their bid on Friday to force prosecutors to name their UK accusers, leaving the Crown Prosecution Service’s secrecy decision in place until the brothers are returned from Romania. The pair face a combined 21 UK charges, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain, over alleged offences between 2012 and 2016. Bedfordshire Police secured the European arrest warrant in 2024, and Romanian proceedings must finish before extradition can proceed.

Mr Justice Chamberlain said the challenge was not arguable and described the CPS position as coherent and rational. Prosecutors withheld the names because of fears the Tate brothers could identify or publicly expose the complainants online, a concern tied to their large social media following. CPS guidance requires prosecutors to balance a defendant’s right to a fair trial with witness protection, and the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 restricts publication of material likely to identify complainants in such cases. The judge said the identities would be disclosed once the brothers are surrendered and prosecuted in England and Wales.

At the 23 June hearing in the Administrative Court, Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, for the brothers, called the refusal “wholly perverse” and said it was wrongly based on the complainants’ vulnerability and the claimants’ notoriety. She also told the court that Andrew and Tristan Tate had offered £20,000 each and promised not to publicly identify the women. Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 37, have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.