Two men found guilty over Starmer-linked arson attacks

Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on property and a car connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted by an Old Bailey jury.

In May 2025, a Toyota once owned by Sir Keir was set alight in a street in north London. Days later two homes were set ablaze, including one rented out to the prime minister’s sister-in-law, which he still owned.

The prosecution told the court Lavrynovych carried out the arson attacks after being recruited online by Russian-speaking Telegram user “El Money” who promised him payment.

Lavrynovych was acquitted of damaging property by fire with intent to endanger life on 11 and 12 May 2025 at two properties in north London.

He was convicted of alternate counts of damaging property by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit arson.

All three, who live in London, had denied conspiring together and “with others” to damage property by fire between 1 April and 13 May 2025.

On 8 May 2025, a car previously owned by the prime minister was found on fire on a street he previously lived on in Kentish Town.

Three days later, a fire was discovered at flats linked to Sir Keir in nearby Islington. He had lived there years before.

On 12 May 2025, a fire was discovered at the entrance to Sir Keir’s Kentish Town home, which was being rented out to his sister-in-law. She was inside with her family when the property was set alight by Lavrynovych.

Lavryovych was recruited online by a Russian speaker using the alias EL, whom Lavrynovych saved in his phone as “El Money”, the court heard. He was previously tasked by “El Money” to put up far-right posters, but never received the thousands he was promised for the arson attacks.

Prosecutors told jurors that it was “no part of your considerations” to decide who “El Money” was and what reason he might have had for coordinating the alleged actions of the defendants.

The defendants were said not to have demonstrated any particular political or ideological motivation, and that it did not matter whether they knew that the property they were allegedly targeting was connected to the prime minister or whether that formed part of their motivation.

“El Money” sent messages to Lavrynovych on 12 May, after the final arson, which included “there is news, you’ll get crypto” and “you need to throw away the clothes”.

The Telegram contact then offered Lavrynovych advice in a message that read: “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.”

Lavrynovych was arrested hours later.

During the trial in the absence of the jury, lawyers for Lavrynovych applied for prosecutors to hand over wider information held on “El Money”, including whether he was associated with intelligence services or was a state informant, and where he was based. Lavrynovych’s defence involved him claiming he felt intimidated by the contact and was therefore acting under duress.

“El Money’s” actions were “redolent of tradecraft”, meaning the techniques used by spies, the defence lawyers said.

But the judge refused the application, ruling that it was “wholly irrelevant” to the issues before the jury.

Since Lavrynovych knew nothing about any of the contact’s connections, this material could only support a “retrospective assessment” that the handler posed a threat.