DAY 6: Starmer Arson Plot Trial: Three in Court Over Attacks on PM’s Homes

STARMER ARSON PLOT TRIAL: THREE IN COURT OVER ATTACKS ON PM’S HOMES:

We are live from the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) as the trial begins for three men accused of a coordinated campaign of arson targeting properties and a vehicle linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The proceedings, which are expected to last several weeks, follow a series of incidents in May 2025 that saw emergency services scrambled to addresses in North London. Roman Lavrynovych, 21, Petro Pochynok, 35, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, appear in the dock today to face a jury regarding their alleged roles in the plot.

The prosecution alleges the trio participated in a "coordinated" effort to endanger lives through fire, while investigators look into whether the men—Ukrainian and Romanian nationals—were recruited via social media platforms to carry out the attacks. All three defendants deny the charges and remain in custody.

Read more: Sharaz ali handed whole-life order for quadruple house fire murder

THE TRIAL: KEY POINTS SO FAR

🔴 THE CHARGES: Roman Lavrynovych, Petro Pochynok, and Stanislav Carpiuc all deny conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. Lavrynovych faces additional counts of arson related to specific incidents.⬇️

🔴 THE TARGETS: Jurors will hear evidence regarding three separate attacks: a vehicle fire in Kentish Town, a blaze at an Islington flat where a resident had to be rescued, and a fire at the entrance of the Prime Minister’s current private home.

🔴 "OPAQUE" MOTIVE: While the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command led the investigation, the Crown has stated the case is not currently being treated as a terrorist incident. Trial judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb previously described the purpose behind the attacks as "somewhat opaque."

Read more: Trio convicted of attempted murder in revenge petrol attack

🔴 THE TELEGRAM CONNECTION: Investigations suggest that Lavrynovych may have been recruited through a Telegram channel for foreign nationals in London. Security services are reportedly probing potential Russian involvement in the recruitment of the suspects.

🔴 THE DEFENCE POSITION: The defendants maintain their innocence, with legal teams expected to argue that the evidence does not support a conspiracy to endanger life or that the men were not the individuals responsible for the blazes.

🔴 You can read our updated legal analysis on why it now isn't likely that there will be any smoking gun revelations at this trial here ⬇️

https://www.vpnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-arson-trial-no-smoking-gun

Read more: Jealous ex murdered mum & 3 children in revenge blaze

We'll bring you the latest daily updates on our live feed below...

LIVE REPORTING BY: Ben Freeman

Edited by: Ali Mitford

DAY 6 - 6 MAY 2026 :

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A Ukrainian national standing trial for a series of arson attacks targeting the Prime Minister told detectives he had never heard of Sir Keir Starmer and held no political interest in the United Kingdom.

Roman Lavrynovych, 22, is accused alongside Petro Pochynok, 35 and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27 of a six-week conspiracy to damage property by fire across various locations in North London.

The Old Bailey heard that the group is alleged to have carried out the campaign between April 1 and May 13 last year following recruitment by a remote handler.

During a police interview conducted on May 13 2025 Lavrynovych was repeatedly questioned about his knowledge of the current British government and his motivations for the alleged offences.

A detective asked the defendant directly if he knew who the UK Prime Minister was to which Lavrynovych provided a negative response.

When the officer specifically named Sir Keir Starmer the defendant again replied that he had no knowledge of the individual.

However Lavrynovych confirmed that he was aware of the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson but maintained he had no opinions regarding the Labour Party or current government policy.

The court heard that the defendant told investigators he did not hold any grudges against the Prime Minister or the state and had no interest in British politics.

In a subsequent interview on May 14 the defendant expressed his views on international affairs stating that Russia was in the wrong regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

Lavrynovych further described Vladimir Putin as a terrorist and claimed his feelings toward the Russian leadership were entirely negative.

The jury was told that the prosecution case centres on the recruitment of Lavrynovych via the Telegram messaging app by a Russian-speaking user identified as El Money.

Evidence was presented regarding three specific incidents including the destruction of a Toyota RAV4 on May 8 2025 which was previously owned by the Prime Minister.

The second incident on May 11 involved a fire at a residential block in Islington where Sir Keir had previously lived.

On May 12 a final fire was discovered at the entrance of the Prime Minister’s current Kentish Town residence while it was being rented to a relative.

The prosecution alleges that after the third fire the handler messaged Lavrynovych to inform him he had targeted the home of a very high-ranking person.

The handler reportedly instructed the defendant to flee the city and promised to send money to assist in his escape from the authorities.

Lavrynovych was arrested just hours after this communication was sent and initially claimed he had no involvement in any of the fires.

He told officers he was at home during the first two incidents and claimed to be visiting his co-defendant Petro in Camden during the third.

The court heard that the defendant maintained this alibi even when confronted with digital forensic evidence from his mobile phone which placed him at the scenes.

In a prepared statement submitted to police Lavrynovych alleged he had been offered money to check for CCTV coverage at two specific addresses.

He stated that he had trusted the handler because he was in financial need but claimed the promised payments were never delivered.

The defendant alleged that he felt under duress because the handler knew his home address in Lewisham where he lived with his grandmother.

He told investigators he feared for his grandmother's safety and felt he could not be certain the handler would not take action against him.

Despite these claims of external pressure Lavrynovych continued to deny that he was the person who actually set fire to the properties.

The other two defendants Carpiuc and Pochynok remained silent throughout their interviews and declined to comment on the allegations.

The jury has been reminded that all three men deny the charges of conspiracy and the individual counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues as the court examines the digital records and the nature of the online recruitment process used to coordinate the attacks.

DAY 5 - 1 MAY 2026 :

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The prosecution has presented granular details of the communications between three men accused of an arson conspiracy during todays court hearing at the Old Bailey.

Roman Lavrynovych, Petro Pochynok and Stanislav Carpiuc are charged with conspiracy to commit arson alongside further individual charges against Lavrynovych.

The jury was asked to draw implications from a series of encrypted messages exchanged between the defendants during the period of the alleged attacks.

In one significant exchange Lavrynovych allegedly messaged Carpiuc stating they should not talk too much on the phone and instructed him to check for a car at a specific address.

The message suggested that the job would be completed that day and that they would have money as a result of the act.

Further communications between Lavrynovych and Pochynok following an incident indicated that an attempt had come out badly and that Lavrynovych would return to finish the job.

The prosecution alleged that the defendant complained about the quality of a video recording and stated they would receive payment the following day.

Following the fire at Countess Road Lavrynovych allegedly messaged Carpiuc to suggest they would be going out and eating well while monitoring the money.

Technical evidence presented to the court included geolocation evidence and CCTV footage from Transport for London used to track the movements of the defendants.

Investigators confirmed various bus trips through CCTV while phone tracking allegedly showed devices being placed on airplane mode in the vicinity of the target locations.

A video was presented to the court which the prosecution alleged showed Lavrynovych burning a newspaper with the use of an accelerant.

While the shadowy figure of El Money has featured heavily in previous sessions very little new information was heard regarding the individual during this stage of the proceedings.

The court heard a message sent from an individual named Potanin to Carpiuc which stated that he did not trust any Russian and included multiple puke emojis.

The prosecution has focused on the minute details of the communication and movement of the three men as they build their case against the defendants.

Defence barristers have not yet presented their arguments and the jury was reminded that they are currently hearing only the evidence put forward by the Crown.

It is anticipated that further information regarding the identity and role of El Money may emerge when the defence begins its presentation later in the trial.

The case continues with the prosecution expected to provide further detailed analysis of the digital and physical evidence. 

DAY 4 - 30 APRIL 2026

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The Old Bailey today heard how a defendant in the Kier Starmer arson trial claimed he was directed to set the fires by a shadowy handler who knew his home address.

Roman Lavrynovych allegedly told officers during a series of police interviews that someone else had instructed him to target properties and a vehicle associated with Sir Keir Starmer.

The court was told that DNA evidence recovered from a pair of trainers and a bottle of white spirit found at the defendant’s residence provided a match to Lavrynovych.

During the investigative process the 22-year-old initially maintained that he had been visiting a friend named Petro during the period one of the attacks took place.

However after being presented with data recovered from his mobile device the defendant suggested that investigators needed to ask another person about the instructions to set the fires.

He described a handler known as El Money who reportedly spoke fluent Ukrainian and Russian and had offered a payment of one thousand five hundred pounds to conduct reconnaissance on two addresses.

Lavrynovych claimed in a prepared statement that he felt personally threatened because the handler was aware of the address where he resided with his grandmother.

A forensic expert provided technical testimony regarding the recovery of digital data from the mobile handsets belonging to the three defendants.

The jury heard that modern smartphones can save snapshots of notifications even if they have been swiped away or deleted by the device user.

These snapshots are reportedly reliable for a period of approximately thirty days but the defense has questioned the overall completeness of the digital evidence.

A barrister representing Petro Pochynok argued that the presence of a notification on a handset does not prove a message was ever read or consciously engaged with.

The court heard that some of the defendants were participants in large group chats containing as many as 886 members where messages could circulate without being viewed.

It was noted by the prosecution that the evidence against Lavrynovych appears to contain more complete conversational threads than the snapshot-based data linked to the other men.

Detective Constable Knight of the Metropolitan Police gave evidence regarding the distribution of flyers for a fee of two pounds.

The jury was shown images of flyers containing anti-Islamic messaging with an Indian font style referencing the city of Ayodhya.

The material allegedly stated that London would not be free until the lessons of the Indian city were learned by its residents.

Further digital evidence recovered from the phone of Stanislav Carpiuc reportedly included snapshots of four Islamic centres sent from a contact possibly identified as El Money.

The trial continues to examine the true identity of the handler and whether the evidence of the encrypted messages should be considered definitive by the jury.

Proceedings at the Old Bailey remain focused on the forensic links between the three defendants and the remote directing force behind the arson campaign. 

DAY 3 - 29 APRIL 2026:

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The Old Bailey today heard the opening of the prosecution case against three men accused of a coordinated arson campaign targeting properties and a vehicle linked to the Prime Minister.

Roman Lavrynovych, Petro Pochynok and Stanislav Carpiuc appeared in court to face charges of conspiracy to commit arson following a series of attacks in May 2025.

Lavrynovych faces additional counts of arson with intent to endanger life and a lower charge of arson recklessly endangering life.

The Crown alleges that the criminal agreement involved three separate incidents occurring over a five-day period across North London.

The first attack took place on May 8 targeting a Toyota RAV4 which was previously owned by Sir Keir Starmer.

A second fire was discovered on May 11 at a property on Ellington Street where the fire was allegedly set in a hallway.

The final incident occurred on May 12 at a premises on Countess Road involving an attack on the front door of the building.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the jury that the Ellington Street address was associated with a company in which the Prime Minister had previously served as a director and shareholder.

The Countess Road property is still owned by Sir Keir Starmer and was inhabited by his sister-in-law at the time of the alleged offence.

All three attacks were reportedly carried out in the dead of night when occupants were likely to be asleep in their beds.

The prosecution alleges that a petrochemical accelerant such as white spirit was used to ignite the fires.

Following their arrests the three defendants provided police with PIN access to their mobile devices for forensic examination.

Data recovered from the handsets included cellular geolocation records, photographic metadata and encrypted messages between the parties.

The court heard evidence that Roman Lavrynovych was captured on CCTV purchasing white spirit at a B&Q store on May 6.

Till receipts were recovered to corroborate the purchase of the accelerant according to the prosecution opening.

Forensic investigators reportedly found photographs of turpentine replacement and reconnaissance images of the Toyota on the devices.

A photograph of the vehicle while it was burning was also presented as evidence of the alleged planning and execution of the first attack.

Digital records showed map locations and photographs of the targeted buildings which the prosecution described as further evidence of reconnaissance.

A second alleged trip to B&Q was made on May 8 with recovered video appearing to show a test fire being set outdoors.

The jury was told that the daughter of the Prime Minister's sister-in-law was left in a state of fear following the Countess Road attack.

A resident at the Ellington Street address was forced to flee onto the roof of the building to escape the smoke and flames.

Footage was shown to the court which allegedly depicted one of the defendants returning to the area following the fires.

The most significant aspect of the communications evidence involved Roman Lavrynovych and a Russian-speaking figure known as El Money.

Messages suggested a long-term arrangement involving payments of two pounds per poster for distributions in various locations going back many months.

Daily rates of between one hundred and two and one hundred and three pounds were discussed prior to the arson attacks.

A detailed price list was allegedly established including five hundred pounds for blacking out a car windscreen and two thousand pounds to set a vehicle on fire.

Discussions regarding the Toyota and the Countess Road property reportedly began seven months before the incidents took place.

The prosecution claims that Lavrynovych attempted to recruit others into the conspiracy via social media platforms including Instagram.

One user allegedly responded to a recruitment attempt by noting that arson was a crime but expressed interest in targeting a windscreen for financial gain.

The Crown argued that the primary motivation for the defendants was financial reward from a shadowy figure rather than ideology.

Messages from the handler allegedly told Lavrynovych that he had attacked the home of a very high-ranking individual and advised him to leave the city.

The handler instructed the defendants to use the secret codeword GERANIUM if they were detained by police to trigger the provision of a legal representative.

Evidence of disputes over unpaid fees from the handler was also presented to the court.

Overall the prosecution describes the case as a deeply intriguing series of events directed by an external party.

The jury was reminded that they have only heard the prosecution case and that no conclusion has been reached regarding guilt or innocence.

The trial continues at the Old Bailey as the Crown proceeds with its evidence.

MORNINGS REPORTING:

Prosecution Opens Trial Into Arson Plot Linked to Prime Minister

The prosecution has delivered its opening statement at the Old Bailey in the trial of three men accused of a targeted arson campaign. Duncan Atkinson KC informed the jury that the attacks, carried out over five days in May 2025, specifically targeted properties with direct links to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The defendants—Roman Lavrynovych (22), Petro Pochynok (35), and Stanislav Carpiuc (27)—deny conspiracy to commit arson. The Crown alleges the men were recruited and directed by a Russian-speaking contact operating under the pseudonym "El Money."

The "El Money" Communications

Atkinson KC told the court that digital evidence recovered from the Telegram messaging app reveals a structured conspiracy. Lavrynovych is alleged to have been the primary point of contact for "El Money." Over 320 messages were recovered from seized devices, which the prosecution claims detail the planning of the attacks and promises of financial rewards for their completion.

Targeted Locations

The prosecution detailed three specific incidents, arguing that the probability of these specific targets being hit within such a narrow timeframe was "beyond a coincidence":

Evidence Outlined

The Crown’s opening highlighted the technical evidence intended for the trial:

LIVE: DAY 1 - 27 APRIL 2026 - MORNING AM

SESSION:

LIVE COURT REPORTING ⬇️

2026-04-27 10:17 AM BST

🔴 KENTISH TOWN ARSON TRIAL LIVE

Good morning from Court 2 at the Old Bailey. Legal preambles are underway before the Kentish Town Arson trial begins. Jury selection is scheduled for 11:45am, when our live reporting of the proceedings against the three defendants will start ⬇️