Man jailed for four years after Barron Trump reported attack to UK police

A Russian national, Matvei Rumiantsev, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The case came to light when Barron Trump, the youngest son of the US president, reported to UK police that he had witnessed a woman being attacked during a video call.

Rumiantsev, aged 23, received a two-year sentence for the assault and an additional two years for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Authorities revealed that while in custody, he had written to the victim, urging her to retract her accusations. The trial, held at Snaresbrook Crown Court, revealed jealousy over the woman’s friendship with Barron Trump as a possible motive.

The incident originated in January 2025, with Barron Trump, who was in the United States at the time, contacting London police after a call with the victim. During the trial, transcripts showed Trump explaining his concern: “I’m calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up.” When pressed by the operator, he mentioned he had met the woman on social media but was dismissive of other questions about their relationship. Later, in May 2025, Trump provided more details via email, describing a brief but clear glimpse of the attack — initially seeing a shirtless man with dark hair before the camera shifted to the victim being struck and crying.

The court also heard that Rumiantsev and the woman had spent the evening and early morning drinking together before the assault occurred on 18 January 2025, which included an instance of the defendant hitting her in the face. Judge Mr Justice Bennathan KC advised the jury to approach Trump’s testimony with caution, highlighting that Trump had not testified under oath or been cross-examined. During cross-examination, Rumiantsev admitted to feeling some jealousy concerning the victim’s interactions with Barron Trump but emphasized that his grievance stemmed from what he saw as the victim leading Trump on. He was acquitted of separate allegations of rape and strangulation from the previous November. Rumiantsev had already spent two years in custody before this sentencing

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