What began as a split-second judgment call last year would later help deliver justice. In January 2025, Barron Trump contacted UK police after witnessing an assault during a brief video call from the United States.
His report triggered an immediate response in London. More than a year later, the case reached a courtroom outcome.
Trump, then 18, told police he had placed a late-night video call to a woman he met on social media. The call was briefly answered by a shirtless man before the camera flipped to show the woman crying as she was struck.
The interaction lasted only seconds. Trump ended the call and contacted London police to report what he saw.
Officers traced the address and arrested Matvei Rumiantsev, a 22-year-old Russian citizen living in London, later that day. Prosecutors said Rumiantsev assaulted the woman during the early hours of January 18, 2025. At trial in Snaresbrook Crown Court, the prosecution argued jealousy over the woman’s contact with Trump played a role. Rumiantsev acknowledged feeling jealous but disputed elements of the account.
The jury convicted Rumiantsev of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice after sending the woman a letter from prison asking her to withdraw her allegations.
However, jurors acquitted him of rape and strangulation charges tied to the same incident, as well as separate allegations from November 2024.
Before deliberations, the judge instructed jurors to treat Trump’s account with caution because it had not been tested under cross-examination. Even so, prosecutors said the early report prompted a swift police response that led to arrest and prosecution.
Rumiantsev is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27. The case shows how timely action, even from abroad, can carry lasting legal consequences.
