Matvei Rumiantsev assaulted his girlfriend in east London. He lived in Canary Wharf at the time. The attack occurred between January 17 and 18, 2025. Rumiantsev and the woman drank together that evening. Tensions rose quickly.
Rumiantsev grew jealous of her friendship with Barron Trump. The 19-year-old son of US President Donald Trump connected with her on social media. This bond sparked conflict. During the assault, the woman received a FaceTime call from Barron.
Barron answered the call unexpectedly. Rumiantsev picked up the phone first. He appeared shirtless with dark hair. Then he flipped the camera. Barron saw the woman crying on the floor. She screamed in Russian as Rumiantsev hit her.
The Urgent Call
Barron reacted immediately. He called UK emergency services from the US. “Oh I’m calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” Barron told the operator. His tone sounded urgent and worried.
The entire event lasted 5 to 7 seconds. However it left Barron shaken. In May 2025, he emailed police investigators. He described the brief scene. “The individual who picked up the phone was a shirtless man with darkish hair… The camera was then flipped to the victim getting hit while crying, stating something in Russian,” Barron wrote.
Police arrested Rumiantsev that morning. The report from Barron aided the investigation. Meanwhile, the woman confirmed the assault details.
Court Proceedings
The trial took place at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Rumiantsev, a 22-year-old Russian citizen, faced multiple charges. Prosecutors accused him of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, two counts of rape, and perverting the course of justice.
Rumiantsev denied all charges. He admitted some jealousy. “I was jealous to some extent,” he testified. Additionally he claimed, “What I was really unhappy about was that she was frankly leading him (Barron Trump) on.”
Judge Mr Justice Bennathan KC directed the jury carefully. He warned them to treat Barron’s account with caution. Barron did not testify under oath. His friendship with the woman might bias his view.
“Whether he ever got a good view of what happened, whether he actually saw [the complainant] being assaulted, or jumped to this conclusion on the basis of her screams,” the judge noted.
The Verdict
After deliberations, the jury found Rumiantsev guilty. They convicted him of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They also convicted him of perverting the course of justice. He wrote a letter from prison asking the woman to withdraw her allegations.
However the jury acquitted him of the rape charges. They cleared him of intentional strangulation too. Another assault charge from November 2024 resulted in not guilty.
Moreover the court scheduled sentencing for March 27. Barron’s quick action highlighted the case. Prosecutors praised his report. It brought attention to the violence across continents.
