A lawyer for four women in the UK, who have accused internet figure Andrew Tate of sexual assault, has said that his clients were shocked, traumatised and horrified to see the Tate brothers travel from Romania to the United States.
Self-described misogynist Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrived in Florida from Romania yesterday, shortly after prosecutors lifted a travel ban related to criminal charges against them.
The Tate brothers are under criminal investigation in Romania on accusations of forming an organised criminal group, human trafficking, trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. They have denied all wrongdoing.
The four women in the UK are bringing a civil case against Andrew Tate at the High Court accusing him of rape and coercive control between 2013 and 2016.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, lawyer Jack Beeston said yesterday's move came with very little warning.
He compared it to a "travelling circus" and said that his concerns were that the Tates may never return to Romania to face justice there.
He said that there is also the question of the extradition warrant to the UK.
"The major fear is that they never are forced to stand trial and face justice for their alleged crimes in both Romania and the United Kingdom. It's a really shocking turn of events."
He said that the brothers faced "exceptionally serious charges".
Mr Beeston said that he was worried that the US under the Trump administration would be a safe haven for the Tate brothers, and that they may remain there for good.
"We have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever," Andrew Tate told reporters as he left the Florida airport yesterday, saying he and his brother were innocent.
He did not respond to reporters who asked why the brothers had come to Florida, or whether US President Donald Trump had helped get their travel ban lifted.
Yesterday, Mr Trump said he knew nothing about the Tate case in Romania while speaking to reporters alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of the two leaders' meeting.
Mr Starmer noted that the Tates face UK legal challenges and called for justice to be served, telling reporters: "There's an English element here, so obviously it's important that justice is done, and human trafficking is obviously, to my mind, a security risk."
