Convictions at Old Bailey
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, have been found guilty of conspiring to commit arson attacks on property and a vehicle connected to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. The verdict was delivered at the Old Bailey on Monday. A third defendant, Petro Pochynok, 35, also from Ukraine, was acquitted of the same charge.
Lavrynovych was additionally convicted of damaging two properties by fire with recklessness as to whether life was endangered on 11 and 12 May last year. However, he was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life.
Mr Justice Garnham ordered that the defendants remain in custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Friday. The jury reached unanimous verdicts after deliberating for seven hours and 26 minutes.
Details of the Trial
Throughout the months-long trial, evidence was presented that the three men were offered payment to set fire to a car and two houses associated with Starmer by an anonymous Russian-speaking individual known as El Money, or “Hroshi” in Ukrainian.
Authorities recovered over 320 messages exchanged between El Money and Lavrynovych via Telegram, dating back to September 2024. The anonymous contact, communicating in Russian, offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency to ignite the fires, record them, and ensure the incidents received media coverage.
Pochynok testified that he was asked by his friend Carpiuc to assist Lavrynovych with some suitcases but claimed he was “deceived” by both men and was unaware of Lavrynovych’s plan to set fire to a car on 8 May.
Impact on Starmer’s Family
Judith Alexander, the sister-in-law of Keir Starmer, was residing with her partner and daughter in the Prime Minister’s former home in Kentish Town when the front door was set ablaze on 12 May 2025.
“I did not see anyone on the street,” Alexander told the court in April, “but when I looked down I saw smoke and an orange glow where the front door was.”
Following the attacks, El Money instructed Lavrynovych to leave the UK, stating on Telegram:
“Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.”
Arrests and Denials
Lavrynovych was arrested at his residence in Sydenham, south-east London, on 13 May 2025. Carpiuc was apprehended on 17 May at Luton airport while awaiting a flight to Romania.
During the trial, all three men denied harboring any animosity towards the Prime Minister. Pochynok described Starmer as a “friend of Ukraine” in his testimony.
Police Statement
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, stated there was “no ideological motivation” behind the defendants’ actions and “no evidence to suggest that they knew who they were targeting, and that that was the prime minister or properties linked to the prime minister.”
“However, clearly the intention from the online tasker was to create fear, both for the victim and the prime minister, and cause uncertainty, unrest, for the UK.”
Prosecution and Government Response
Following the verdicts, chief prosecutor Frank Ferguson said:
“These were deliberate and dangerous acts of arson carried out against properties and a vehicle linked to the prime minister, and they posed a serious risk to life.
Such offences go beyond damage to property – they are intended to intimidate and undermine public confidence, and that will not be tolerated.”
In May, during Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer described the attacks as:
“an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for.”
A government spokesperson commented:
“This was an abhorrent attack and those responsible have now been brought to justice for their acts.
We thank our partners in law enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service for bringing these criminals to justice.”
