A high court judge in London has thrown out an attempt by the influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate to force prosecutors to reveal the identities of the people accusing them of sexual violence before they return to the UK to face charges.Lawyers for the Tate brothers, who have built large online followings with their highly misogynistic content and are currently living in Romania, called on the high court in London this week to compel authorities in the UK to tell them who had made the criminal accusations.They argued that withholding the names was irrational and breached the brothers’ human right to a fair trial. However, in a judgment on Friday, judge Martin Chamberlain said “neither ground is arguable”.“This is not a case at which it can be said – even arguably – that there has been a breach” of the Tates’ human rights at this stage, the judge said.The crown prosecution service told the court it reached its decision in part because there was a “real risk” the Tates would leak their accusers’ names on social media. Prosecutors highlighted Andrew Tate’s reach on social media platform X, where he has millions of followers, and cited a September 2025 post in which he offered a “10k reward” for a man’s identity.The judge said prosecutors were fully entitled to take a “precautionary approach”. The Tates’ huge online following “bore on the extent of the damage that would be done if they chose to name the complainants publicly”, according to the judgment.Lawyers for the brothers said they had each offered to pay a forfeit of £20,000 (€23,166) if the accusers’ identities were revealed. But the judge said this was “an ad hoc security arrangement not backed by any statutory regime”, adding that the Tates “give every appearance of having considerable resources available to them”.While lawyers for the Tates said they were of “good character”, the judge noted this was “in the technical sense used by criminal lawyers” and prosecutors were “not required to adopt an attitude of studied naïveté”.“The prosecutors’ description of them as ‘notorious’ ... was not unfair,” he added.[ The Tate escape: How a ‘manosphere’ star accused of rape and trafficking was freedOpens in new window ]Prosecutors authorised charges against Andrew Tate (39) in 2024 for alleged offences including rape, actual bodily harm and controlling prostitution for gain between 2014 and 2016 following complaints from three individuals.Tristan Tate (37), is facing charges of rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking between 2012 and 2016, connected to one alleged victim. Both men have vigorously denied the allegations against them.Under English law, complainants and victims of sexual offences are granted lifelong anonymity, although defendants in criminal trials are normally made aware of their identities while being prohibited from disclosing them.Tom Little, representing the crown prosecution service, told the court this week that the brothers would be told the names of their accusers once they return to the UK.Bedfordshire police secured European arrest warrants for the pair in 2024 following an investigation known as Operation Moonwalk, but they have yet to be extradited from Romania, where they are facing separate criminal proceedings.The judge said it was likely to be “many years” before the Romanian proceedings concluded and the brothers were extradited.[ Irish schools ‘crying out’ for guidance on how to tackle issue of influencers like Andrew TateOpens in new window ]“It is not at all obvious that the late provision of the identities of the complainants will hamper the ability of the claimants to gather and present evidence relevant to their defence,” he wrote in the judgment.However, the judge added it would still be open to the brothers to argue the prosecutors’ decision to withhold the names was an “abuse of process” at the crown court, after they return to the UK. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026