Andrew Tate and brother Tristan lose £2.8m court case over unpaid tax claims

Published

1 min ago

December 18, 2024

admin

Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan must forfeit more than £2m after a judge ruled they failed to pay any tax on £21m in revenue from online businesses, including OnlyFans.

Devon and Cornwall Police brought the civil case to seize £2.8m held in seven frozen bank accounts from the Tate brothers and a woman who can only be referred to as “J” for legal reasons.

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled in favour of the force in a judgment handed down at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

He said what appeared to be a “complex financial matrix” was actually a “straightforward cheat of the revenue”.

In a statement after the ruling, Andrew Tate said: “This is not justice; it’s a coordinated attack on anyone who dares to challenge the system.”

At an earlier hearing in July, Sarah Clarke KC, representing the force, described the Tate brothers, who are former kickboxers, as “serial tax and VAT evaders”.

They were said to have failed to pay a penny in tax on £21m of revenue from their online earnings, including from War Room, Hustlers’ University, Cobra Tate and OnlyFans, between 2014 and 2022.

The court heard 38-year-old Andrew Tate‘s approach was “ignore, ignore, ignore because in the end, they go away” and he said in a video posted online: “When I lived in England I refused to pay tax.”

Police said the brothers paid just under $12m (around £9.5m) into an account in J’s name and opened a second account in her name, even though she had no role in their businesses.

She received a payment of £805,000 into her Revolut account, the court heard, with £495,000 of that money paid to Andrew Tate, and £75,000 sent to an account in J’s name that was later converted to cryptocurrency, the court also heard.

Martin Evans KC, representing the Tates, previously said the bank transfers made by the brothers were “entirely orthodox” for people who run online businesses and they did “a singularly bad job” if they had wanted to distance themselves from the money.

They spent money on a number of “exotic motor cars” but nothing illegal, Mr Evans said.

But the judge found the “brothers’ entire financial arrangements are consistent with concerted tax evasion and money laundering” in a written ruling.

“I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that they have engaged in long-standing, deliberate conduct in order to evade their tax/VAT liabilities in both Romania and the UK,” he said.

He found the frozen accounts were used to “launder the undeclared revenues” from the Tates’ businesses, as well as “for the purchase of properties, high value items and to fund their extravagant lifestyle”.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said: “From the outset we have aimed to demonstrate that Andrew and Tristan Tate evaded taxes and laundered money through bank accounts located in Devon.

“The investigation focuses on substantial earnings accrued between 2014 and 2022, during which we believe no tax or VAT was paid on those funds.

“Furthermore, both individuals are alleged to have concealed the origins of their income by channelling money through ‘front’ accounts, constituting criminal activity and rendering those earnings proceeds of crime.”

The brothers are facing a series of separate criminal allegations – including human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women – in a case in Romania, while Andrew Tate is also accused of rape.

A fleet of luxury cars was towed away from their home in the capital, Bucharest, earlier this year following more human trafficking charges. They deny all of the charges against them.

Explained:
The allegations against the Tate brothers
Who is Andrew Tate?

The Tates are currently barred from leaving Romania but are set to be extradited to the UK once those proceedings are concluded to face further allegations of rape and human trafficking dating back to 2012 to 2015, which they also deny.

Andrew Tate has been banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook after the platforms accused him of posting hate speech and misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted.

But he remains popular on X, with almost 10 million followers – many of them young men and schoolchildren.

In July, senior police officers in the UK warned that influencers like Andrew Tate could radicalise social media followers into extreme misogyny in the same way that terrorists draw in their followers.

UK

Criminology student Nasen Saadi guilty of murder after stabbing woman 10 times on Bournemouth beach

Published

1 min ago

December 18, 2024

admin

Criminology student Nasen Saadi guilty of murder after stabbing woman 10 times on Bournemouth beach

A criminology student has been found guilty of the murder and attempted murder of two women on a beach in Bournemouth.

Nasen Saadi, 20, from Croydon, fatally stabbed personal trainer Amie Gray, 34, ten times as she sat beside a fire on Durley Chine Beach in Dorset on the evening of 24 May.

Her friend Leanne Miles, who was sitting next to her on the beach, suffered 20 knife injuries but survived the attack.

The trial at Winchester Crown Court heard how Saadi, who was studying criminology at Greenwich University in London, was asked by one of his lecturers: “You’re not planning a murder, are you?”

He had asked teachers questions about self-defence for murder and how long DNA stays behind.

Saadi told detectives he had an interest in true crime, unsolved cases and horror movies.

During the trial, the jury heard how in the days leading up to the attack Saadi had checked into a Travelodge in Bournemouth before moving to a different hotel.

He went to a cinema to watch The Strangers – Chapter 1, described by the prosecution as a slasher movie where the male and female leads both get stabbed.

Lead prosecutor Sarah Jones KC said: “It suggests, doesn’t it, that the defendant gravitated to what he likes to watch or sought inspiration or encouragement from what he saw.”

The jury was shown CCTV footage which the prosecution said showed Saadi walking along the beach promenade.

A CCTV audio recording was also played for the jury of screaming and a male voice at around 11.39pm – the time of the attack.

Ms Jones told the jury Saadi left the victims on the sand “to bleed to death” while he moved away and tried to disappear “back into the shadows”.

‘I am getting dizzy, please hurry up’

A recording of a 999 call made by Ms Miles was played to the court in which she was heard crying in pain.

The 39-year-old told the operator: “I have been stabbed loads of times. Oh my God, I am getting dizzy, please hurry up, please hurry up.”

She continues: “I am bleeding everywhere, I have been stabbed loads of times.”

The clothes Saadi was wearing during the attack and the weapon used were never recovered.

Analysis of Saadi’s laptop showed that since January 2024 there were searches about murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and her killer Levi Bellfield, as well as Brianna Ghey and her killers.

There were also multiple visits to websites selling knives and searches for “why do criminals get away with crimes in rural areas” and “why is it harder for a criminal to get caught if he does it in another town”.

During searches of his bedroom at his aunt’s home where he was living, police found five knives, including a machete and an ornamental knife, as well as a self-defence spray.

Read more from Sky News:
Sara Sharif’s dad jailed for minimum of 40 years

Officers also seized a blue Trespass rucksack which contained white latex gloves, two of which were inside out, a black balaclava, a torch and used wet wipes.

In a police interview shown in court, Saadi said: “I am not responsible and I have no reason to attack someone for no reason.”

Asked where he was at the time of the attack, he replied “no comment” and when asked if he was the person in the CCTV footage, he replied: “Beaches are popular places… many people… CCTV shows there were many people walking, it’s not just one person.”

Saadi, who had pleaded guilty to failing to provide his mobile phone code to police, did not give evidence during the trial.

UK

Driver Thomas Johnson jailed for killing three teenage passengers after inhaling laughing gas at the wheel

Published

1 min ago

December 18, 2024

admin

Driver Thomas Johnson jailed for killing three teenage passengers after inhaling laughing gas at the wheel

A driver who inhaled laughing gas at the wheel has been jailed for nine years and four months after he admitted killing his three teenage passengers in a high-speed crash.

Thomas Johnson, 19, had admitted to taking nitrous oxide through balloons while driving and exceeding speeds of more than 100mph on a road with a speed limit of 30mph.

He pleaded guilty to causing the deaths earlier on Wednesday at Oxford Crown Court.

Addressing Johnson, Judge Emma Nott said his actions were “all for teenage thrills” and he would be “forever defined” by his “teenage mistakes”.

Daniel Hancock, 18, Ethan Goddard, 18, and Elliot Pullen, 17, died in the crash in Marcham, Oxfordshire, in June last year.

Their families have spoken of being “united by grief” by the tragedy and hope the sentence “will serve as a deterrent” to others.

Mobile phone video footage taken inside the BMW 3 series, moments before it crashed, showed the boys laughing and passing nitrous oxide canisters to the front while Johnson had a balloon to his face.

The tyres can be heard screeching as the vehicle drifts around a corner at high speed.

Thames Valley Police also released an ANPR photo of the driver and front passenger with balloons to their mouths.

CCTV footage shows the vehicle overtaking another car at more than 100mph. Police say the vehicle’s electronic stability control had been deliberately switched off.

Johnson, who sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, says he does not remember what happened.

In a police interview afterwards, he revealed he was aware of the risks.

Asked if he had ever taken nitrous oxide, Johnson responded: “No, not this year. I remember doing it once last year with a group of friends before I could even drive but I don’t have any recollection after that.”

Asked if he remembered what the effect of it was, Johnson replied: “It made my head feel dizzy.”

Families hope sentence is ‘deterrent’

Commenting on the case, a joint family statement said: “No amount of imprisonment will bring our sons back home and we take little comfort in the sentencing of someone else’s son.

“However, we do hope that this will serve as a deterrent to other drivers, especially young men.

“If just one person adjusts their attitude to driving, or one person thinks twice about being a passenger along for the ride then there is hope that something good can come out of this tragedy.”

‘Permanent living nightmare’

Elliot Pullen’s parents, Kate and Giles, and his sister Mia issued a separate statement describing their sense of loss and being “united by grief” in what was a “permanent living nightmare”. They said they had been “sucked into a world of grief, sadness and pain”.

The parents of Ethan Goddard paid tribute, writing that he “was a fun, loving, kind, generous, caring young lad, always thinking of others, and getting the most out of life”.

They added he “was loved so very much and made his family so proud”.

Meanwhile, Daniel Hancock’s family said in a statement he “was truly loved and will always be missed. He was caring, generous and selfless.”

And they issued a warning to other young drivers.

“Daniel died three miles from home in a completely avoidable crash. Please don’t be that driver who shows such disregard for their friends’ lives.”

Detective Sergeant Tony Jenkins, of Thames Valley Police’s serious collisions investigative unit, explained that nitrous oxide impairs a driver’s ability to make decisions.

He warned about the risks of driving while under the influence, especially around Christmas time, when people are in a particularly celebratory mood.

“Any impairment while driving is inherently dangerous. It is reckless,” he told Sky News.

“In this case, the use of nitrous oxide took place over a number of hours and even up to 30 seconds before the crash consumption was taking place.”

The recreational use of nitrous oxide was banned by the government months after Johnson’s car crash but drug driving has long been illegal.

UK

Grace Dent to replace Gregg Wallace on the BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef

Published

1 min ago

December 18, 2024

admin

Grace Dent to replace Gregg Wallace on the BBC's Celebrity MasterChef

Gregg Wallace will be replaced by restaurant critic Grace Dent in the next series of the BBC’s Celebrity MasterChef.

Dent, a Guardian columnist and former I’m A Celebrity contestant, will join regular MasterChef presenter John Torode as a judge during next year’s 20th season of the TV cooking competition.

Wallace is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour from more than a dozen people across a range of shows over a 17-year period.

Who is Grace Dent?

It was announced last month that he would step away from his presenting role on MasterChef amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct.

‘So excited I can’t eat’

Dent, 51, has appeared regularly as a guest on the show and last year took part in MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics.

She is The Guardian’s restaurant critic and also hosts the Comfort Eating podcast where she chats with celebrities about food.

In a statement after the announcement, she said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent – and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me.”

She added: “I’m so excited that I can’t eat, which is severely detrimental to a restaurant critic. I feel very lucky to be stepping in for the next Celebrity MasterChef. I can’t wait to meet the fresh celebrity faces for 2025.”

Torode said: “I have loved working with Grace on MasterChef over the years. She has been an excellent guest, an inspiring critic and also set some incredible challenges. Expertise is what MasterChef is all about, from the contestants to our wonderful production team, to us as judges.

“The love of food, the love of MasterChef, and that unquestionable expertise, makes Grace the perfect person to step in alongside me as judge for the forthcoming Celebrity MasterChef series.”

MasterChef executive editor David Ambler also hailed Dent’s “expertise”, as well as her “wit and finely-honed palette”.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, added “energetic” Dent is the “perfect choice”.

The most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to air amid a storm of allegations against Wallace.

However, two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials, a Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off and a MasterChef Strictly Festive Extravaganza, featuring Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers, have been pulled from the BBC’s festive schedule.

Wallace’s lawyers previously told the BBC: “It is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.”

Downing Street criticises Wallace’s remarks

Shortly after the allegations first emerged, Wallace recorded a video where he dismissed his accusers as “middle-class women of a certain age”.

His remarks were met with huge criticism – including from Downing Street, where a spokesperson for the prime minister described them as “completely inappropriate and misogynistic”.

Wallace responded by posting a follow-up clip where he apologised and said he “wasn’t in a good space” when he posted the comments.