Money seized from controversial manosphere influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan is being used to combat violence against women and girls.
In December 2024 a court ruled Devon and Cornwall Police could seize more than £2.9m because the Tate brothers had not paid tax on £21m of revenue from their business and had laundered money through bank accounts based in Devon.
Now the force is match-funding £50,000 with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for a pilot project called Cornwall Male Ally Network, MAN.
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The initiative is aimed at supporting positive male role models, challenging harmful behaviours and creating safer environments for women and girls.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said MAN was one of the initiatives her office was working on to combat violence against women and girls, VAWG.
These include training around identifying stalking and improving the criminal justice experience of victims and witnesses, as reported by Need To Know.
Alison Hernandez said: “Nothing pleases me more than knowing that women and girls in Devon and Cornwall will benefit from the funds seized by the Tate brothers, whose toxic and degrading views have no place in society.
“Ever since my office hosted a ground-breaking, disruptive VAWG ideas workshop last summer, attended by around 100 frontline professionals, we have been working with partners to develop the best projects which will create the biggest and long-lasting impact.
“One of those exciting plans is the Cornwall MAN pilot, which, although in its very early infancy, will radically tackle VAWG by men and boys stepping forward to become part of the solution
“We need to stop expecting women and girls to carry the burden of making them feel they are the ones who have to change their behaviour to stay safe.
“It’s high time men and boys stepped forward to become part of the solution and bring about long-term cultural change.”
Cornwall MAN will be formally launched during the 16 Days of Action domestic violence campaign in November 2026.
The pilot will last for 12 months, with an ambition to also expand it into Devon.
Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan added: “Our work to seize these funds demonstrates our commitment to ensuring criminal activity does not benefit those responsible.
“We are proud to reinvest this money into initiatives that support victims and work towards preventing abuse in our communities with a particular focus on violence against women and girls.”
Kirstie Edwards, Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum engagement manager, added: “Every single day, women make automatic micro-adjustments to keep themselves safe, from the routes we take home to the precautions we build into our daily lives.
“If we want that to change, we have to shift the focus.
“Prevention means working with men and boys, challenging harmful behaviours and creating something better to step into.
“That’s exactly what this project is about.”
Andrew Tate has been cited by authorities as having a significant effect in spreading misogyny online among boys and young men.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Our work to seize the money from the Tate brothers was diligent and showed our commitment to not allowing criminality to operate in Devon and Cornwall.
“While a sum of the seized money was returned to the treasury, a significant sum has come back to the force locally to reinvest.
“We have decided this money will be reinvested into projects which focus on our commitment to battle violence against women and girls and support our newly launched VAWG reduction strategy.”
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