Barron Trump praised by UK judge for phoning 999 to report attack on friend
Barron Trump praised by UK judge for phoning 999 to report attack on friend
A Russian man who physically attacked a woman and used her phone to capture Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron, during the assault has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Matvei Rumiantsev, 23, assaulted the victim out of envy over her friendship with Mr Trump, who recently celebrated his 20th birthday. The incident occurred after the two met through social media platforms.
“I’m calling from the US, uh, I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” Mr Trump stated during the 999 call.
During the attack, the woman received a FaceTime call from Barron, who turned the camera to film himself striking her while she was on the floor, sobbing.
Mr Trump’s 999 call was directed to the City of London Police, where he urgently explained the situation. “It’s really an emergency,” he said, “I just figured out how to, how to call someone.”
“Can you stop being rude and actually answer my questions?” the operator asked. “If you want to help the person, you’ll answer my questions clearly and precisely, thank you. So how do you know her?”
“I don’t think these details matter, she’s getting beat up,” Barron replied. “Also, I met her on social media, I don’t think that matters.”
The victim testified that during the hour-long attack, she believed she was “unable to escape and… might die.” Mr Justice Bennathan noted, “You knew she was a vulnerable, emotional young woman when you attacked her.”
The judge emphasized that the complainant’s initial plea for help—”please help me I’m gonna get killed”—confirmed her fear of imminent danger.
Mr Trump’s account to police, though not presented as a witness, played a critical role in the case. The transcript of his 999 call, made just days before his father’s inauguration, shows he insisted on reporting the incident despite being questioned about his knowledge of the victim.
Later, in an email exchange with detectives, Mr Trump mentioned his brief observation of the attack. “What I saw was very brief indeed but indeed prevalent,” the court heard. He added, “The individual who picked up the phone was a shirtless man with darkish hair, although I didn’t get a good look.”
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“He saw you beating her up and you held the phone and filmed her, an angry act to humiliate her,” Mr Justice Bennathan said, praising Mr Trump’s prompt action in alerting emergency services despite being abroad.
“Mr Trump properly and responsibly ensured the emergency services here were called,” the judge added, highlighting his role in the case even though he did not testify in court.