LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Self-avowed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate who is being sued by four women in a UK court over claims of sexual violence on Wednesday had his trial brought forward.

The civil case had been listed for trial in February 2027 but a judge at London’s High Court said she was “very keen to get on” with the case and fixed the trial start date for June 22, 2026.

“We just need to make this happen, really,” High Court judge Christina Lambert said.

“It is not in anyone’s interests that this case goes into the long grass of 2027,” she added.

Tate, 38, a former kickboxer and reality TV show contestant, moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in Britain.

He became famous in 2016 when he appeared on the “Big Brother” UK reality television show, but was removed after a controversial video emerged.

He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.

In court documents, one woman claimed Tate “would strangle her or grab her by her throat if she spoke back to him or said anything that he did not like”.

The documents also alleged that Tate “had weapons, including firearms, which were often pointed at her” and that he had “indicated to her that he would like to kill someone if he could”.

A lawyer for Tate previously told the court there was a “total denial of wrongdoing” by his client.

After the hearing, the four claimants welcomed the judge’s decision.

“We’ve already spent years waiting for justice, and so it’s of some comfort to hear that Andrew Tate will face these allegations in a court earlier than the original plan of 2027,” they said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Tate previously said: “He denies ever threatening anyone with a firearm, engaging in non-consensual acts or subjecting any individual to physical or psychological harm.”