Sir Keir Starmer’s home was firebombed by arsonists after a mystery Russian figure known as ‘El Money’ offered cash to target the Prime Minister, a court heard today.
Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian, is accused of setting fire to two London properties and a vehicle linked to the Labour leader.
He is alleged to have conspired with Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Romanian man living in Romford, east London, and fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 35, to set fire to the Prime Minister’s family home, a car he previously owned and another property managed by a company which had listed Sir Keir as a director.
The Old Bailey heard today that the trio used Telegram to communicate with their mystery tasker about the three fires in a residential area of north London over three nights in May last year.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson, KC, told the court: ’Lavrynovych had been offered payment to set the fires by a contact using the name or pseudonym El Money.
‘El Money communicated in Russian, in contrast to the Ukrainian otherwise used by the defendants.’
Roman Lavrynovych (centre), 22, is alleged to have conspired with Stanislav Carpiuc (right), 27, a Romanian man living in Romford, and fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok (left), 35, to set fire to the Prime Minister’s family home
The Prime Minister’s family home, a car he previously owned and another property managed by a company which had listed Sir Keir as a director were allegedly targeted by the trio (PM pictured stepping out of No 10 today)
He said: ‘Three fires all involving property linked to the same person were beyond a coincidence. The (Toyota)RAV4 car had once belonged to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
‘The house in Ellington Road was managed by a company of which the Prime Minister had once been director and shareholder. The house in Countess Road still belonged to the Prime Minister, and was occupied by his sister-in-law.’
The court heard that police have not been able to recover the full conversations between the defendants and El Money as many of the messages were deleted.
The three defendants deny conspiracy to damage property by fire between April 1 and May 13 last year.
Lavrynovych, of Lewisham, south-east London, also denies damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life on May 11 and 12 last year.
Jurors heard that the defendants were motivated by financial gain, with Lavrynovych claiming he could earn £2,000 to set fire to a car.
Mr Atkinson told the court the identity of the group’s tasker known as El Money had not been established.
Police found over 320 messages between El Money and Lavrynovych dating back to September 2024, but jurors heard that this is an ‘incomplete record’ and only ‘fragments’ of the chat were discovered.
El Money is said to have previously paid Lavrynovych to put up posters before conversations moved to arson.
There were also two messages recovered between El Money and Carpiuc, whose role is alleged to have been ‘planning and receiving payment’.
The prosecutor told jurors: ‘It is no part of your considerations to decide who El Money is and what reason he might have had to co-ordinate the actions of these defendants against these properties and this car associated with the Prime Minister.
‘That is because you do not have to decide what motivated these three defendants.
‘They have not demonstrated any particular political or ideological motivation, as opposed to a financial one.’
The fires were all ‘set in the dead of night’ when Lavrynovych allegedly poured white spirit on the front door of the properties setting them alight while the occupants of the properties were asleep.
Mr Atkinson said: ‘He must have intended to endanger – to risk – the lives of the people living inside those houses. Why else would you set fire to the front door, blocking the residents’ escape?’
No one was hurt in the three attacks.
Lavrynovych is said to have previously carried out reconnaissance on the targets.
The trial continues.
