Andrew Tate 'choked me until I passed out', UK woman claims

Image source, AFP

Andrew Tate is being investigated by Romanian authorities

By Victoria Derbyshire

Presenter, BBC Newsnight

A British woman says Andrew Tate choked her until she lost consciousness while they were having sex, and then subjected her to threatening behaviour.

The woman, who was 20 at the time, says she first met the controversial social media influencer in August 2014.

She says consensual sex turned violent when Mr Tate choked her and when she woke up, he was still having sex with her, adding: "I didn't consent to it".

Mr Tate said he "vehemently denies" the allegations against him.

A spokesman said Mr Tate does not condone violence of any kind towards women, and that all sexual acts he had taken part in had been consensual.

Evie - not her real name - told BBC Newsnight she first met Mr Tate in a bar in Luton, before he was an influencer with millions of followers. She says he was working as a club doorman and she was a student.

She says she had consensual sex with Mr Tate before meeting him again at her flat later in 2014, in late November or early December. It was then a consensual sexual encounter became violent, she says.

She says Mr Tate "put his hand on my throat and strangled me". Evie says when she came round "it was a bit confusing at first", saying the influencer was "still having sex with me."

Evie, now aged 30, claims Mr Tate also subjected her to violent threats, including threatening to kill her, until he left the following morning.

"He kept saying: 'I own you, you belong to me'," she says. "All throughout the night he was being fairly aggressive and saying horrible things." The next day, Evie says the white part of one of her eyes had completely turned red.

Evie did not report the alleged incident to police at the time.

Asked by the BBC why she did not go to the police to report a rape, Evie said she did not realise she had been the victim of an alleged crime.

She added: "I think I knew what had happened I didn't consent to. But I didn't see it as rape or sexual assault because this was 10 years ago."

She says it wasn't until about six years later when she described the alleged incident to her friends that she began to think she had been sexually assaulted.

Three people who know Evie - and say they remember her describing what had happened - have told her lawyers they are prepared to give evidence in court to that effect.

She says she wants to share her experience to raise awareness about Mr Tate and get justice.

"Hopefully it can teach women what [consent] looks like and encourage more women to come forward with stories," she added.

Evie is the latest British woman to join a planned lawsuit against Mr Tate. Together with three others, they are pursuing civil claims for damages.

The women, all in their late 20s and early 30s, allege they were victims of sexual violence by Mr Tate between 2013 and 2016, when he was living in the UK.

Addressing the former kick boxer, Evie added: "You're going to be held accountable for what you've done."

Watch: Controversial influencer Andrew Tate denies allegations of manipulation

In an interview with BBC News last week, Mr Tate denied fuelling a culture of misogyny and defended his reputation.

He also dismissed the testimonies of individual women involved in the current investigation who have accused him of rape and exploitation.

He was first arrested, together with his brother, Tristan, at their Bucharest home, in Romania, in December 2022. The pair were later moved from custody to house arrest following a ruling by a Romanian judge.

Prosecutors are investigating the brothers for crimes of suspected human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. No charges have so far been brought against them. They deny those allegations.

A spokesman for Mr Tate told the BBC: "Andrew strongly encourages women who have experienced assault, in any form, to report it to the relevant authorities.

"He is saddened that a few opportunistic women who he has allegedly spent time with nearly a decade ago have decided to try and take advantage of his current situation. We will not be commenting any further on anyone's alleged intention to pursue legal action unless such action is submitted to the authorities."

Watch the interview in full at 22:30 on BBC Two, or afterwards on the BBC iPlayer.

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