Illegal immigrant jailed for life for murdering flatmate in UK
Eugenio Yamtsu, 59, an illegal immigrant from Romania, was jailed for life for murdering his flatmate, having previously been convicted of a similar killing in Romania in 2007.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Eugenio Yamtsu, a 59-year-old construction worker from Romania, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his flatmate in the UK. Yamtsu, who was in the country illegally, had previously been convicted of a similar killing in Romania in 2007. He entered the UK as a visitor three years ago and failed to declare his previous convictions or his intention to work.
The sentencing took place in a UK court, though the exact location and further details of the murder have not been disclosed. The case has raised questions about the effectiveness of background checks on migrants entering the country, particularly those who arrive as visitors and then remain illegally.
Yamtsu's prior conviction for a similar offence in Romania was not declared when he arrived, allowing him to slip through the system. This has prompted calls for stricter vetting procedures and better information sharing between countries.
The case is one of several recent incidents involving illegal immigrants committing serious crimes, which has become a contentious political issue. However, the full circumstances of the murder and the victim's identity have not been made public.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | GB News |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdul Khan, an Afghan migrant who arrived by lorry, was sentenced to nine and a half years for raping a 13-year-old girl in Nottingham. | · | · | |
| Arrests for illegal working more than doubled since Labour took office, with over 17,000 arrests since July 2024. | · | · | |
| Eugenio Yamtsu was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his flatmate. | · | · | |
| Mohammed Shiki, a Syrian migrant who arrived by small boat, was sentenced to four years for sexually assaulting two women in Falkirk. | · | · | |
| Yamtsu entered the UK as a visitor and failed to declare his previous convictions or his intention to work. | · | · | |
| Yamtsu had a prior conviction for a similar killing in Romania in 2007. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West did not cover the murder case. Instead, it reported on Home Office figures showing a rise in arrests of migrants working illegally, focusing on enforcement raids and government claims of deterrence. The report also included opposition proposals for tougher measures.
- “the number of migrants arrested for working illegally in the uk has more than doubled since labor has been in government”
- “our enforcement action is taking tough measures to to stamp that out”
GB News did not cover the murder case. Instead, it focused on two separate sentencing of foreign sex offenders, using them to debate whether there is a link between migrant cultures and sex crimes against British women. The channel highlighted the lack of official data on migrant crime and called for more transparency.
- “Do we have a problem with importing third world misogyny that's causing a spike in sex crimes against British women and girls?”
- “the Ministry of Justice will not release figures on crimes committed by migrants”
5 News provided the only coverage of the murder case, reporting the key details: the offender's name, age, nationality, previous conviction, and how he entered the UK. The report was brief and factual, without additional commentary or political framing.
- “An illegal immigrant has been jailed for life for murdering his flatmate.”
- “59-year-old Eugenio Yamtsu had been convicted for a similar killing in his native Romania in 2007.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.