Andrew Tate was arrested in connection with rape and human trafficking (Image: AP)
Andrew Tate is likely to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a cramped jail cell he can only leave for an hour a day amid an investigation into human trafficking and rape.
Tate, 36, was arrested Thursday along with his brother Tristan, 34, and two Romanian nationals and will be held in custody for 30 days.
The jet-setting influencer is known for his gas-guzzling luxury car collection and was even kidnapped from his luxury mansion in Bucharest in handcuffs.
But his life in one of Romania’s detention and preventive detention centers could be a little different than what the former kickboxer is used to.
There are dozens of centers across Romania run by the country’s police force – although it’s unclear where Tate was housed.
However, an investigation by the Council of Europe offers a glimpse into the conditions Tate is likely to face.
Detention cells are often cramped, measuring just 15 square meters with, well, a private bathroom — a sunken toilet in an open cubicle, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment found earlier this year.
Andrew Tate was arrested after posting a social media video mocking Greta Thunberg (Image: Twitter/Cobratate)
Conditions are “generally poor,” the report said, “with ramshackle cells, lack of amenities (storage space, tables and chairs), and worn mattresses and beds infested with bed bugs and roaches.”
“Many complaints were received about very limited access to hot water as well as insufficient cell heating in winter.
“In addition, the sanitary facilities were often in poor condition and the detainees were not provided with adequate amounts of detergents and hygiene products.”
It was relatively rare for prisoners to spend more than an hour outdoors each day, with many inmates being behind bars 23 hours a day.
Tate, whose Instagram is full of photos of him sitting on private jets and standing next to fancy sports cars, may have to spend an hour or so every day in a “strict and oppressive” exercise yard.
“The yards were generally equipped with exercise bars, but some lacked any resting facilities,” the committee continued, with the authors concluding that most centers were “unsuitable for daily exercise and access to fresh air.”
Tate was taken from his mansion in Bucharest in handcuffs (Image: Reuters)
In a 2021 report on human rights in Romania, the US State Department found that Romanian prisons are not designed for long-term residence.
“Such facilities were often located in basements and lacked natural light and inadequate sanitation,” department officials wrote.
According to the Romanian government, detainees stay in the centers for about two months on average.
Tate was originally held for 24 hours, but on Friday a Bucharest judge ordered all four parties held for an additional 30 days – Tate’s lawyers have appealed the “disappointing” verdict.
An appeals judge could make a decision as early as Monday on how long Tate is being held, said Eugen Vidineac, his attorney.
Prosecutors say they were investigating whether the four suspects formed a criminal group to traffic people in Romania, the UK and the US last year.
The former kickboxer is known for his misogynist comments about women (Image: Andrew Tate/Twitter)
Authorities said six victims have been identified so far.
Prosecutors mentioned a separate rape allegation from March this year, but did not specify which suspect was accused.
Tate’s lawyers have denied the allegations.
For years, Tate has attempted to build an online brand as a self-proclaimed “misogynist,” with his website offering “wealth creation” lessons and selling supplements and cups.
The former Big Brother star has made a series of hateful comments mostly about women, such as saying that women who are raped are “partially responsible”.
He gained mainstream relevance while fighting online with Greta Thunberg, a 19-year-old climate activist.
In response to a tweet he tagged Thunberg as boasting about his car collection and asking for her email, she tweeted back, “Yes please enlighten me.
‘Email me at smalld**kenergy@getalife.com.’
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