Andrew Tate not a Dubai flight risk, lawyer says

Andrew Tate will not try to evade the Romanian legal system by fleeing abroad, his lawyer has said, as he appeals against a decision to extend his detention for a third time.

Mr Tate plans to travel to Dubai if released, but only for medical examinations, his lawyer told the BBC.

Reports in Romania, apparently based on Mr Tate's phone-tapped conversations, claimed he was a flight risk.

Mr Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania in December.

They are accused of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group, and are being held in pre-charge detention.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

The Tate brothers arrived at court in Bucharest on Monday to appeal against their latest detention order.

The reports in Romania, which outline phone calls allegedly made by the brothers from custody, are thought to have been part of the case made by prosecutors for extending their detention.

Their detention had previously been upheld until 27 February, and has now been extended for another 30 days.

After filing an appeal against that continued detention, one of the Tates' lawyers, Eugen Vidineac, told the BBC that, while the brothers' phone calls in custody were being tapped, nothing they had discussed was illegal.

"There is no flight risk," he said.

"It was a discussion between Andrew and his secretary, saying that - if he was freed by the judges under these conditions - he will go to Dubai [for medical examinations]", he added.

It was not an attempt to escape Romanian justice, he said. A decision on their appeal is due on Monday.

In 2016, Mr Tate, a former kickboxer, was removed from British TV show Big Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.

He went on to gain notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying women should "bear responsibility" for being sexually assaulted. He has since been reinstated.

Despite social media bans he gained popularity, particularly among young men, by promoting what he presented as a hyper-masculine, ultra-luxurious lifestyle.