Eugeniu Neamtu was sentenced to life imprisonment after murdering his flatmate in Walthamstow.
Neamtu life sentence has been set at life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years after he was convicted of murdering his flatmate, Gheorghe Trica, in Walthamstow, east London.
The sentencing took place at the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, on 21 August 2026. The sentencing remarks were delivered by His Honour Judge Marks KC. The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary published the remarks under R v Eugeniu Neamtu.
Neamtu was convicted of murdering Mr Trica, who was fatally stabbed in the chest on 20 February 2026. The court heard that the killing followed an argument over money, with the dispute involving Mr Trica asking Neamtu to repay £5. Judge Marks described the circumstances leading to the killing as exceptionally trivial.
The sentencing was particularly significant because Neamtu had previously been convicted of murder in Romania. He had been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment in May 2007 after killing a housemate in 2006. He was released from prison in 2023 before travelling to the UK later that year.
Judge Marks identified the earlier conviction as an extremely aggravating factor. He also noted the similarities between the two killings, with both involving a knife used in a domestic setting during an argument over money. The judge said Neamtu had killed another person within three years of his release, which underlined the danger he posed.
The previous conviction was therefore central to the sentencing assessment. For solicitors, the case demonstrates the importance of relevant previous convictions when assessing the seriousness of an offence and the aggravating features that may affect sentence. In this case, the court placed particular weight on the close similarities between the previous killing and the murder for which Neamtu was being sentenced.
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The court also heard that Neamtu had shown no remorse. His earlier conviction, together with the circumstances and similarities between the two offences, formed part of the judge’s assessment when imposing the life sentence and minimum term.
Neamtu had travelled to the UK as a visitor in September 2023 after his release from prison in Romania. The sentencing material reported that he had failed to declare his previous conviction or his intention to work and was therefore not in the UK lawfully at the time of the 2026 killing.
The sentence imposed at the Old Bailey was life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years. The sentencing record identifies the offence as murder and confirms that the sentence followed conviction after trial.
The case was heard at the Central Criminal Court and the sentencing remarks were published by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary on 21 August 2026.