A convicted killer who fatally stabbed his London flatmate over an 'exceptionally trivial' row about £5 was condemned as a dangerous individual with 'no remorse' as he was jailed for life, the Old Bailey has heard.

Judge Richard Marks KC sentenced 59-year-old construction worker Eugeniu Neamtu to a minimum term of 27 years on Friday, telling him that carrying out another killing within three years of his release in Romania underlined the danger he posed, as reported by the Daily Star.

Jurors heard that Neamtu, also known as Jimmy, killed 63-year-old Gheorghe Trica on 20 February at the flat they shared with six other Romanians in Walthamstow, east London. The fatal altercation began when insults were exchanged and Mr Trica was heard demanding: 'Give me back those £5.'

A bystander shouted 'Oh my God, he has cut Trica' before the victim collapsed in a pool of blood on the communal balcony outside their front door. Despite the efforts of police officers and paramedics, Mr Trica died at the scene from a stab wound to the heart.

The court heard Neamtu was seen throwing an object over the balcony banister. A police dog later located the murder weapon, a black-handled steak knife, in the garden below.

Neamtu subsequently called 999, telling the operator through a Romanian-speaking interpreter: 'There was an incident here and a person is injured. There was an altercation, a man was cut, and I am the perpetrator.'

Following his arrest, Neamtu claimed in prepared statements that Mr Trica had pushed him down the stairs, made throat-slitting gestures, and threatened his life. He claimed he took the knife from the kitchen merely to 'scare' the victim.

As I reported previously, Neamtu entered the UK as a visitor in September 2023 without declaring his previous 15-year sentence for a 2006 murder in Romania, where he repeatedly stabbed a housemate in the chest during a drunken dispute over money. His failure to declare the conviction or his intention to work meant his presence in the UK was unlawful.

During pre-trial hearings, prosecutor Philip Evans KC argued the parallels between the two killings demonstrated Neamtu's intent. Following submissions from defence barrister Paul Hynes KC, Judge Marks ruled jurors could be told about the 2007 stabbing conviction, but withheld the fact that the Romanian victim had died.

Neamtu's 27-year minimum term is the baseline he must serve before the Parole Board can consider his release, and he will remain subject to licence conditions for the rest of his life.