logo
Trial of High Court claims against Andrew Tate brought forward to next summer

Trial of High Court claims against Andrew Tate brought forward to next summer

Rhyl Journal25-06-2025
Four women are suing the former professional kickboxer over allegations of sexual violence, including that he grabbed one by the throat on several occasions in 2015, assaulted her with a belt and pointed a gun at her face.
Tate's barristers told an earlier court hearing that there was 'total denial of wrongdoing'.
In written submissions for a hearing on Wednesday, barristers for the women said that following a preliminary hearing in April this year, a 16-day trial had been listed to start on February 22 2027.
But Mrs Justice Lambert told the court in London that she was 'very keen to get on' with the case and that it should be listed sooner, fixing the trial to start on June 22 2026.
The trial could last up to five weeks, with a further preliminary hearing expected to take place at a later date.
She said: 'We just need to make this happen, really.
'It is not in anyone's interests that this case goes into the long grass of 2027.'
Following the short hearing, the four claimants said: 'We welcome the judge's decision to bring our case forward.
'We've already spent years waiting for justice, and so it's of some comfort to hear that Andrew Tate will face these allegations in a court earlier than the original plan of 2027.'
The hearing in April was told that the case is believed to be a legal first as it will consider whether allegations of coercive control, in a civil context, could amount to intentional infliction of harm.
Judge Richard Armstrong said that the claimants were 'seeking damages likely to reach six figures'.
The women are bringing a civil case against Tate at the High Court after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute in 2019.
Three of the British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary, which was closed in 2019.
In court documents, one woman suing Tate claimed he 'would strangle her or grab her by her throat if she spoke back to him or said anything that he did not like… until she told him that she loved him or apologised for whatever he demanded at the time'.
She said he, and his brother Tristan Tate, 'played good cop and bad cop to manipulate her', and that Tate allegedly put her in a headlock or whipped her with a belt if she did not get out of bed and do work for his webcam business.
The documents also allege Tate 'had weapons, including firearms, which were often pointed at her' and that he had 'indicated to her that he would like to kill someone if he could'.
Tate said that her account was 'fabrication' and a 'pack of lies', and has previously described the allegations as 'unproven and untested'.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Tate previously said: 'He denies ever threatening anyone with a firearm, engaging in non-consensual acts or subjecting any individual to physical or psychological harm.
'These are civil claims, brought years after the alleged events and following a CPS decision not to pursue criminal charges.
'It is deeply troubling that such graphic and one-sided accounts are being publicised before any judicial assessment has taken place.'
The statement added: 'Mr Tate will defend himself vigorously and remains confident the truth will prevail.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Number of on-the-run Spring Hill jail absconders still unknown
Number of on-the-run Spring Hill jail absconders still unknown

BBC News

time18 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Number of on-the-run Spring Hill jail absconders still unknown

The Ministry of Justice has failed to reveal how many prisoners are still on the run from an open least six men have absconded from Spring Hill Prison, at Grendon Underwood, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in just over the space of a month, including one on BBC asked how many prisoners were still on the run from the jail, but the Home Office failed to it offered a brief statement, attributed to a Prison Service spokesperson, saying only: "Prisoners who abscond face strict punishments, including being banned from open prisons for two years." The most recent reported absconder is Lee Mellenger, who left the prison at about 07:15 BST on Monday, according to Thames Valley 27, is about 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall, of slim build and known to frequent the Milton Keynes and Birmingham has a 'MUM' tattoo on his left hand and a cross tattoo on his right leg and was last seen wearing a light blue/grey tracksuit, black trainers and a grey/green puffer jacket with a fur 23 July the force issued an appeal to trace two men who absconded from the open prison hours 25 June the force issued another appeal to help locate three inmates who absconded at the same the BBC has reported on other missing prisoners, who the police have also not confirmed are back in Howard League for Penal Reform said that "open prisons play an important role in reducing crime because they allow people who are nearing the end of long sentences to experience a return to the community in a limited and controlled way". Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

DoJ pushes for release of Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts
DoJ pushes for release of Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • The Guardian

DoJ pushes for release of Epstein and Maxwell grand jury transcripts

Transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the sex-trafficking indictments of the sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, include the testimony of just two law enforcement witnesses, the Department of Justice has said, as it argues for the documents' release. Top justice department officials disclosed in a filing late on Tuesday in New York City federal court that separate grand juries convened to consider the criminal investigations of Epstein and Maxwell, and had heard from only two witnesses. The revelation was made in the course of court wrangling over whether the transcripts of the proceedings should be unsealed, amid the continuing furor over the Epstein scandal which has roiled Donald Trump's second term. The Trump administration is urging the two federal judges who presided over the Epstein and Maxwell grand juries, Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer, to release the testimony, in an attempt to calm the uproar. The Trump administration has come under intense pressure from the president's own base of supporters who were infuriated by the justice department's decision not to release any additional Epstein files about the late, disgraced financier's crimes involving the sex trafficking of girls. The decision jarred with the previous stance of senior administration figures, including Trump himself and the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, who had hyped the expected release of more details of the New York financier's businesses, travels and associations, including a possible list of his financial clients, which all further stoked conspiracies around the well-connected Epstein. Tuesday's submission states that the grand jury tasked with considering the criminal case against Epstein heard only from an FBI agent when it met in June and July 2019. A similar grand jury for Maxwell heard from the same FBI agent and a New York police department detective when it met in June and July 2020 and in March 2021. The memorandum was signed by Jay Clayton, US attorney for the southern district of New York, and included the names of Bondi and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. Epstein took his own life in a federal jail in August 2019, weeks after his arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges, officials say, but his case has generated endless attention and conspiracy theories because of his and Maxwell's links to famous people, such as royals, presidents and billionaires, including Trump. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein in the sexual trafficking of minors. She was convicted in December 2021 on charges that she lured teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Last week, she sat for two sets of interviews with justice department officials, including Blanche, in Florida, where she is serving her time in a federal prison, and answered questions 'about 100 different people', her attorney said. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he had cut off their relationship long ago. But he faces ongoing questions about the Epstein case.. On Tuesday, Trump spoke about connections between Epstein and the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. He claimed he evicted the financier from the resort because Epstein 'stole' young female staffers from him, including Virginia Giuffre, who went on to be a key witness against Epstein and Maxwell. Giuffre died in April. Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress but with conditions, including being granted immunity. Her lawyer has written to the House committee, which has subpoenaed her, saying that a deposition without immunity would be a 'non-starter'. The justice department memorandum says that unsealing the transcripts is 'consistent with increasing calls for additional disclosures in this matter'. The Associated Press contributed reporting

Two British siblings, 11 and 13, drown off Spanish beach
Two British siblings, 11 and 13, drown off Spanish beach

Powys County Times

time5 hours ago

  • Powys County Times

Two British siblings, 11 and 13, drown off Spanish beach

A British brother and sister aged 11 and 13 have drowned off a beach on the north-eastern coast of Spain. Emergency services were called to Llarga beach in Salou, near Tarragona, shortly after 8.45pm local time on Tuesday evening, Catalonia's Civil Protection agency said. The children's father, who had also entered the water, was rescued alive by the services. Local police, medical and fire services all attended the incident, while a team of psychologists were also at the scene to assist the victims' family. The children, who were swept away from the beach by powerful currents, received immediate treatment but died at the scene, according to local media. Their father remains in hospital after being pulled from the water unconscious, it was reported. Catalonia's Civil Protection agency initially said two brothers died, but Jose Luis Gargallo, the head of the local police force in Salou, later said it was a brother and sister. At a news conference on Wednesday, Mr Gargallo told reporters: 'There were three people who were having serious difficulty getting out of the sea. 'There was a father with his son and daughter, of British nationality. 'When they got out, both of them, the boy and girl, aged 11 and 13, showed no signs of life. 'Attempts were made to resuscitate them with CPR, but they were unsuccessful. 'The father, fortunately, was able to be saved. He had swallowed a lot of water, he was exhausted, very fatigued, but the father was able to be saved thanks to the emergency services.' A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of two British children who have died in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.' The deaths come after several other British people died while abroad in southern Europe this month. Scots Gary Kelly, 19, and Evan Thomson, 26, died at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel in San Antonio, Ibiza, while King Edonmi, 29, and Mo Liasu, 27, both from Ipswich, died after drowning in a hotel swimming pool in Albufeira, Portugal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store