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In a trial regarding an alleged assault on a friend, the judge has advised jurors to approach evidence provided by Donald Trump’s youngest son with caution. Barron Trump, aged 19, reportedly alerted UK police from the United States after witnessing the alleged attack on his friend via a video call last year. The judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court emphasized on Monday that Barron’s account might be influenced by bias or error due to his close relationship with the woman and cautioned jurors against relying primarily on his testimony for convicting the defendant.
Matvei Rumiantsev, 22, stands accused of multiple offences including actual bodily harm, two counts of rape, intentional strangulation, assault, and attempting to obstruct justice by pressuring the woman to retract her complaints. He has denied all charges brought against him. During a legal direction, Mr Justice Bennathan KC noted that Barron Trump had not testified under oath nor been cross-examined in court. This, he pointed out, meant that important questions about the reliability of Barron’s observations—such as whether he had a clear view of the alleged assault or if his judgement was affected by his friendship with the complainant—remained unanswered.
The judge explained that while hearsay evidence like Barron’s could still be considered, it should be treated with care given it was not provided under oath. Jurors should not base their verdict chiefly on this testimony. Barron Trump reportedly contacted the police on 18 January last year after a video call with the woman, saying, “I’m calling from the US, uh I just got a call from a girl, you know, she’s getting beat up,” as per a transcript released by the Crown Prosecution Service. In a subsequent email to police in May, Barron described his observation as “very brief indeed but indeed prevalent” but acknowledged he had no solid evidence to support his statements. The court also heard that police had received no reply to further follow-up emails.
The defence, led by Sasha Wass KC, described Barron Trump as an “unreliable witness” motivated by “irrational jealousy” towards her client. She contended the woman had manipulated her friendship with Barron—whom she met through social media—as a “ruse” to provoke jealousy, characterizing their relationship as “full of dramas.” Prosecutor Serena Gates asked the court to consider Barron’s “urgent” and “worried” tone in his police call as indicative of the seriousness of the situation. According to the prosecution, Rumiantsev strangled the woman after a night of drinking on 17 January 2025, leading to her calling the police. He was subsequently arrested the next morning. Rumiantsev told the court the sexual encounter was consensual and claimed he held the woman’s arms in self-defence to prevent her from hitting him. He expressed uncertainty about why he answered Barron’s call but hoped the woman would behave differently with others present. The trial remains ongoing
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