A London court delivered a four-year sentence to Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old MMA fighter, for a brutal assault on a woman. The conviction, handed down on Friday, followed a jury’s finding on January 28th of assault with bodily harm, though he was cleared of more serious charges of rape and choking.
The attack took a startling turn when it was witnessed, in part, by Barron Trump, the youngest son of former President Donald Trump. Trump had been on a late-night video call with the victim, a woman he’d connected with online, when the horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.
Trump described a fleeting, shocking image: a brief glimpse of a shirtless man before the camera abruptly shifted to the woman being violently attacked. He recalled a surge of adrenaline and the sound of her cries, punctuated by words spoken in Russian.
Without hesitation, Trump immediately contacted London police, urgently relaying the unfolding emergency from across the Atlantic. “It’s really an emergency… I’m calling from the U.S., uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” he told the operator, initiating a swift response.
Police arrived at the scene and arrested Rumiantsev, who worked as a receptionist in London. The trial revealed Rumiantsev’s motive stemmed from jealousy over his girlfriend’s friendship with Trump. He later attempted to intimidate the victim, sending a letter from jail requesting she retract her accusations – an act that led to a conviction for perverting the course of justice.
While Rumiantsev was acquitted of additional charges related to a separate alleged assault from November 2024, the judge condemned his lack of remorse and his attempts to blame the victim. “Your lack of insight and empathy was apparent at trial,” Justice Joel Bennathan stated firmly.
Though Trump did not testify, his swift action was lauded by the judge. He was specifically commended for responsibly alerting emergency services and providing a clear account of what he witnessed, despite being thousands of miles away.
The defense questioned the extent of what Trump could have observed in the brief moments he saw the attack, noting he was unaware the woman had a boyfriend. However, the court ultimately focused on Rumiantsev’s culpability and the severity of the assault.
