AS an opponent of capital punishment, my first ­reaction to hearing that misogynist influencer Andrew Tate is now in ­Florida and facing a police probe took me by surprise.

“Good! They have the death penalty in that state,” I thought.

Such is the level of anger this despicable creature involuntarily brings out in me.

Many of you will no doubt be feeling similar revulsion today after it was revealed that triple murderer Kyle Clifford, 26, had been influenced by Tate before he raped his ex-girlfriend in July 2024.

He then fatally shot Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow, having already stabbed their mother Carol, 61, to death with a knife.

Less than 24 hours before his attack he had been listening to a Tate podcast.

Tate, 38, and his equally loathsome brother, Tristan, 36, are currently in America’s Sunshine State having scarpered by private jet from Romania, where they face charges of rape and human ­trafficking.

The brothers face further charges here in the UK.

Demand extradition

Following a European arrest warrant from Bedfordshire Police relating to separate allegations of rape and ­trafficking dating back to between 2012 and 2015, they were due to be extradited here after they had been dealt with in Bucharest.

Four women have also filed a civil case against shaved-headed thug Andrew in the High Court, alleging rape and coercive control — claims which he has denied.

But rather than return “home” to America as the swaggering heroes they believe themselves to be, the duo — who are of American and British nationality — are now embroiled in yet another ­criminal investigation into their alleged crimes.

Investigators in Florida have issued search warrants and subpoenas as part of a “now-active” inquiry.

Also in the US, the brothers face a civil suit from a woman alleging they forced her into prostitution.

Andrew Tate, a shouty and boorish brute, has hit back, saying the state has “zero reason” to open a criminal case against “an innocent American citizen who was politically imprisoned abroad”.

I can see this row rumbling on. But it should not. There is a simple solution.

Tate’s alleged crimes are far too serious to ignore; Keir Starmer must draw on his apparently strong relations with US ­President Donald Trump and demand his extradition.

As the PM said himself this week: ­“Justice must be done in all cases, including in this case.”

And if any case against Tate is proved, I hope that will result in the custodial sentence so he is locked up out of harm’s way.

Because Andrew Tate’s harm is ­significant.

Young people are becoming increasingly influenced by his flash brand of misogyny and seeming love for sexual violence.

Indeed, this pathetic narcissist is fuelled by the idolisation of naive, emotionally vulnerable boys and young men — he has 10.7million followers on X/ Twitter — who believe he is some kind of messiah.

Messiah of misogyny

Well, he is the messiah of misogyny.

And misogyny, as the Clifford case clearly illustrates, kills.

So support for him is, I believe, support for the rape and murder of women and girls.

With this in mind, it is not surprising that according to a poll released this week, nearly two-thirds of young women say they fear young men.

According to the Centre for Social ­Justice, 62 per cent of young women aged 18 to 24 agree that most young men are “pretty frightening”.

Tate’s influence is so prevalent in schools that many are starting to address his behaviour directly with students.

But educators want a ­national approach.

A report from researchers at the ­University of York last week found that the overwhelming majority of teachers at both state and private schools would ­welcome specific guidance on how to tackle the influence of the so-called ­“manosphere” — the warped online world where misogyny is celebrated.

The study warns that the popularity of influencers such as Tate has resulted in a steady creep of female-hatred into the classroom, with young male students being ­convinced that harassment and derogation of women is perfectly acceptable.

Vile and dangerous

If you are wondering what sort of ­comments these are, I can tell you that Tate regularly tells his followers that women belong in the kitchen and should service their male ­partners on demand.

In one of his online videos, he says: “I’m a realist and when you’re a realist, you’re sexist.

“There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist”.

He goes on to describe women as “intrinsically lazy”, adding that there is “no such thing as an independent female”.

One secondary school teacher, Charlotte Carson described Tate as “intelligent, articulate and disciplined” in explaining how boys do take him seriously, but understands he is also pathetic and ­insecure, and promotes “Taliban-style beliefs”.

In online videos I have viewed, Tate repeatedly says that women belong in the home, cannot drive, and are a man’s property.

He also thinks rape victims should “bear responsibility” for being attacked.

Tate likes to pose with guns and ­expensive cars, and likes to ­portray himself as a cigar-smoking playboy.

He has said that he dates women aged 18 to 19 because he can “make an imprint” on them.

And he talks about hitting and choking women, trashing their belongings and keeping them locked in the home.

“It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up b***h,” he says in one video, as he acts out exactly how he’d attack any woman who accused him of cheating.

He also calls an ex-girlfriend who had accused him of ­hitting her “a dumb ho”.

There is no place in any civilised society for such vile and dangerous attitudes and actions.

The Clifford case shows us the urgency of eradicating Tate.

He is a monster, and we cannot demonise him enough.