London Court Sentences Russian Man for Assault
A London court has sentenced a Russian national to four years in prison for assaulting a woman in an incident that was unexpectedly witnessed via video call by Barron Trump, the youngest son of former President Donald Trump.
Matvey Rumyantsev, a 23-year-old mixed martial arts fighter, was found guilty of assault with bodily harm on January 28 but was acquitted of charges related to rape and strangulation. In addition, he was found guilty of attempting to obstruct justice by sending a letter from prison to the victim, urging her to retract her accusations.
Following his actions, Rumyantsev admitted to being jealous of his girlfriend’s friendship with Barron Trump.
During the incident, which occurred on January 18, 2025, Trump was on a late-night FaceTime call and was taken aback when a shirtless man answered. “The scene lasted probably a second and the adrenaline was pumping,” Barron Trump recounted. He then saw the victim in distress as she was assaulted, speaking in Russian.
He subsequently contacted the police in London, conveying his urgency: “It’s really an emergency…I’m calling from America, uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s been beaten up,” he told the operator.
Police were dispatched, leading to Rumyantsev’s arrest at his workplace. During the trial at Snaresbrook court, he was acquitted of various charges, including rape and strangulation related to another incident from November 2024.
Defense attorney Sasha Wass argued that Trump was unaware the woman had a boyfriend and questioned the validity of making assessments based on brief video footage.
Judge Joel Benathan expressed frustration with Rumyantsev’s lack of empathy, stating, “Your lack of foresight and empathy was evident at trial,” and criticized him for attempting to place blame on the victim.
Although Barron Trump did not testify, the judge commended his responsible actions in alerting authorities about the incident, emphasizing that he acted correctly despite being thousands of miles away.
