Herts Police investigated over handling of images in Andrew Tate case
Hertfordshire Constabulary is facing fresh scrutiny over its handling of alleged indecent child images found on Andrew Tate’s electronic devices during a search of his home in 2015.
The Press Association reports that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating whether the force followed local and national guidance on child sexual exploitation and evidence of human trafficking when examining material found on the devices.
The inquiry forms part of a wider investigation into how Hertfordshire Police handled sex abuse allegations against Tate when they were first reported more than a decade ago.
The case was reopened earlier this year after the watchdog said a former detective constable could face gross misconduct proceedings over alleged failures to properly investigate. Two former detective sergeants who supervised the inquiry are also being investigated for potential misconduct.
Court documents filed last month in support of the UK’s extradition request allege that 168 indecent images of a child were found on phones and a laptop belonging to Tate following his arrest at his home in Hitchin in 2015. Sixty-six were classed as the most serious category A.
Tate is also alleged to have shared images and a video of the child committing an indecent act on WhatsApp. It is alleged he knew the girl, who came to the UK from abroad to work in his sex webcam business, was 17.
The IOPC said its investigation into Hertfordshire Constabulary began after a voluntary conduct referral from the force in December 2023.
A spokesman for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit said criminal proceedings were active and it could not comment further. The spokesman confirmed that an IOPC investigation was also being carried out into the reports made to Hertfordshire Constabulary in 2015.
Andrew Tate, aged 39, and his brother Tristan, aged 38, are facing separate extradition hearings in the US over criminal charges including rape and sex trafficking. Andrew Tate also faces allegations of making and distributing indecent images of a child and possessing extreme pornography.
Both Andrew and Tristan Tate, who hold dual United States of America and British citizenship, deny any wrongdoing.