A Russian man has been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after Donald Trump's son told UK police he had seen a woman being beaten up on a video call. Barron Trump, 19, contacted officers when he was in the US to say his friend had been attacked by Matvei Rumiantsev in London in January 2025, as a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Prosecutors claimed Rumiantsev, now 22, was jealous of the woman's friendship with Trump. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice. Rumiantsev was found not guilty of one count of rape and intentional strangulation, and another of rape and assault alleged to have occurred in November 2024.
The trial revealed that Trump had called the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on 18 January last year and contacted UK police shortly afterward. He expressed concern during the phone call, stating: I'm calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she's getting beat up.
Trump explained that the video call momentarily captured a shirtless man with darkish hair before flipping to the victim who was crying. This brief view lasted only five to seven seconds, according to Trump, who detailed the frightening experience to police.
The trial showed that Rumiantsev had been drinking with the woman before the incident, during which he assaulted her, reportedly hitting her in the face among other acts. The judge cautioned the jury not to solely rely on Trump's account for the conviction, as he did not testify under oath. Rumiantsev later claimed he had felt jealous of the woman's attention towards Trump, arguing that her actions towards him were inappropriate.
The conviction also included a charge for trying to influence the victim from prison, asking her to retract her statements about the assault.
Prosecutors claimed Rumiantsev, now 22, was jealous of the woman's friendship with Trump. He was also convicted of perverting the course of justice. Rumiantsev was found not guilty of one count of rape and intentional strangulation, and another of rape and assault alleged to have occurred in November 2024.
The trial revealed that Trump had called the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on 18 January last year and contacted UK police shortly afterward. He expressed concern during the phone call, stating: I'm calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she's getting beat up.
Trump explained that the video call momentarily captured a shirtless man with darkish hair before flipping to the victim who was crying. This brief view lasted only five to seven seconds, according to Trump, who detailed the frightening experience to police.
The trial showed that Rumiantsev had been drinking with the woman before the incident, during which he assaulted her, reportedly hitting her in the face among other acts. The judge cautioned the jury not to solely rely on Trump's account for the conviction, as he did not testify under oath. Rumiantsev later claimed he had felt jealous of the woman's attention towards Trump, arguing that her actions towards him were inappropriate.
The conviction also included a charge for trying to influence the victim from prison, asking her to retract her statements about the assault.
