Violent man stabbed London flatmate after being told ‘give me back those £5’, court hears

Violent man stabbed London flatmate after being told ‘give me back those £5’, court hears Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, is currently on trial at the Old Bailey after allegedly stabbing his flatmate in February - Bookmark A violent offender fatally stabbed his flatmate at their London home after being told “give me back those £5”, a court has heard. Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, known as Jimmy, is accused of attacking his fellow Romanian Gheorghe Trica, 63, with a steak knife, at their home in Walthamstow, east London, on the evening of 20 February. Trica collapsed on the communal balcony outside the front door of the flat and was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of police and medics, the Old Bailey was told. Earlier, it is alleged that there had been an argument between the defendant and victim, with insults shouted in Romanian and Trica heard to say: “Give me back those £5.” At one point someone exclaimed: “Oh my God, he has cut Trica,” and the victim was found in a pool of blood, jurors were told. Afterwards, the defendant was allegedly seen to thrown something over the banister of the balcony. The area was searched by a police dog and a knife was recovered from the garden below, jurors were told. The defendant said in prepared statements that he had rowed with Trica, who threatened to kill him, pushed him down the stairs and made throat-slitting gestures. He said he picked up the knife from the kitchen to “scare” Trica and stabbed him in the chest to protect himself, the court was told. During the opening of Neamtu’s murder trial on Tuesday, prosecutor Philip Evans KC outlined the defendant’s background in Romania, as he referred to an incident back in 2006 that had “striking similarities” to the current allegation made against Neamtu. He told jurors that Neamtu had a previous conviction in May 2007, relating to an incident in August the year before, at the home of Adrian Vas, where he was living. Mr Evans said they had been drinking plum brandy and rowed over rent and work that the defendant had agreed to carry out at the property. During the confrontation, the defendant took up a knife from the hallway and stabbed Mr Vas several times in the chest, jurors were told. That knife was later recovered from the grounds of the property, the court heard. Afterwards, the defendant told Romanian authorities that he and Mr Vas had argued, insulted each other, and fought with objects to hand, and that it was possible he struck Mr Vas with a knife in self‑defence. In later accounts, he said that he picked up a knife because he was afraid, and that Mr Vas had provoked him, the court was told. The Romanian court rejected the defendant’s claim of self‑defence. Mr Evans said: “The prosecution in this case relies on this previous conviction because of the striking similarities between the circumstances of that offence and the allegation you are concerned with in this trial. “In both cases the defendant was involved in a drunken argument with an associate over money. In both cases he took up a knife from within the home. “In both cases he stabbed the other man in the chest. In both cases he later claimed that he acted in self‑defence.” Neamtu, of Westbury Road, Walthamstow, denies murder and the trial continues. [Image text:] CENTRALCRIMINALCOURT CORPORATON