A journalist who claims he was harassed by Andrew Tate said the influencer “aggressively” banged on his door after Tommy Robinson exposed the reporter’s address online.
Former kickboxer Tate was arrested on Friday alongside his brother Tristan and two other suspects, while his house was raided in the Romanian capital, Bucharest. Prosecutors said they had found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.
Tate, who has been banned from many social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, will be detained for 30 more days while police continue to investigate. The pair have been under investigation since April alongside two Romanian nationals, the authorities say.
The arrests come three years after freelance journalist Mike Stuchbery had encounters with Tate and Robinson, after writing about the far-right.
Mr Stuchbery said Tate appeared at his home on two occasions in 2019, demanding entry and forcing the writer to call the police.
Tate’s former Twitter account posted a photo outside Mr Stuchbery’s home at the time, showing his door and a recycling box of empty bottles. In the tweet, the influencer accused the former Independent columnist of being a “lazy dishonest alcoholic”.
The visit came a week after Robinson had also turned up at his home, videoing the name of the road and revealing his location online.
Mr Stuchbery recalled the incident with Tate after reports of his arrest emerged on Friday.
“Tate paid a visit to mine (the week after Tommy broadcast my address), he was flustered at the lack of a response, so he ruffled around in the glass bin out collection and tried to claim I’m an alcoholic,” he tweeted. “Sainbury’s cooking wine, mate? Really?”
“At the time my then-wife was not really well so when he turned up and started banging on the door I didn’t answer,” Mr Stuchbery told The Independent.
“Who’s going to answer the door when that sort of thing is happening? He was banging aggressively saying I should come out and talk to him and that he just wanted to talk.”
Mr Stuchbery reported the incident to the police who asked Mr Tate to leave the property before the influencer returned months later again taking pictures of himself outside of the journalist’s home. He was told to leave again.
The journalist said he received hate mail after his address was revealed and said the visits contributed to the breakdown of his marriage.
Now living in Germany, Mr Stuchbery told The Independent incidents with Tate and Robinson took a toll on his now ex-wife.
The journalist said Tate had gone on to boast about his wealth and extravagant lifestyle online: “He’s done hundreds of podcast appearances and he’s boasted about how he’s made his money. He’s made no secret about the cam girl operations and the casinos in Romania and he implied that he’s in Romania because the cops go easy on him.”
The brothers claim to run a studio where 75 lingerie-clad models take calls from fans paying $4 a minute.
“Let’s put the whole Hustlers University, scandalous comments aside, he’s not quiet about this kind of stuff and he’s not the brightest guy in the world,” Mr Stuchbery said.
Footage shows Tate, who moved to Romania five years ago, and his sibling being led away from a luxury villa.
Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) earlier issued a statement, but did not name the Tate brothers, stating that two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking.
It also released a video of the raid, showing guns, knives, and money on display in one room.
