A series of arson attacks on property linked to UK prime minister Keir Starmer were orchestrated by a Russian-speaking contact called “El Money” who promised payment in cryptocurrency, a court has heard.
Ukrainians Roman Lavrynovych, 22, Petro Pochynok, 35, and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, are accused of plotting the series of fires in north London last spring on the orders of the Telegram contact.
Opening their Old Bailey trial on Wednesday, prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told jurors that three fires over five days, all linked to Starmer, went “beyond coincidence”.
The arson attacks were “planned and directed”, and involved the “promised payment” in cryptocurrency by a contact called “El Money”, jurors heard.
Last May 8th, a Toyota Rav4 car, which once belonged to the UK prime minister, was allegedly set alight on Countess Road in Kentish Town.
Lavrynovych had allegedly bought white spirit as an accelerant in B&Q and was videoed by Pochynok after the car was set alight.
The woman who bought the Starmer’s car in September 2024 was woken to a “commotion” in the street and looked out of her window to see the fire at 2.53am.
Initially, it was not thought to be suspicious but after the other fires police seized the vehicle for examination by scientists, who found the fire was most likely deliberate, jurors heard.
Later that day, Lavrynovych was captured on CCTV back in B&Q buying more accelerant and returning to Kentish Town to “finish the job” after complaining about the fire video quality, the court heard.
Three nights later, a blaze was reported at a house in nearby Ellington Street which was managed by a company of which the Prime Minister had once been a director and shareholder, the court was told.
Jurors were shown another video of a lit match being thrown onto accelerant on the doorstep of the address allegedly made by Lavrynovych.
A resident of the top-floor flat was woken by the smell of smoke about half-an-hour later and escaped to the roof to call the fire brigade.
Atkinson said: “The fire had spread inside the building and into the hallway of these premises made up of four flats, posing you may think an obvious risk to those inside.”
In the early hours of May 12th, another house on Countess Road was deliberately set alight, jurors heard.
That property still belonged to the Starmer and was occupied by his sister-in-law.
Each of the properties was allegedly set alight by Lavrynovych in the “dead of night” while the occupants were asleep, jurors heard.
Atkinson said: “The prosecution’s case is that when he did so 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?”
Atkinson went on: “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.”
Atkinson said Lavrynovych may claim he was “pressured” into carrying out the attacks by a “shadowy figure who threatened him and his family if he did not comply”.
However, more than 300 messages between Lavrynovych and “El Money” were recovered indicating a “good working relationship” spanning seven months and a willingness to recruit others, he said.
Atkinson added: “It also underlines that the motivation for these activities was not fear, but financial reward.”
In the aftermath of the attacks, “El Money” had encouraged Lavrynovych to flee London, the court heard.
In a message, he said: “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.
“If the police detain you, secretly write the word, ‘geranium’ and I’ll send a lawyer to you, I’ll give you money for a week and a new phone. We won’t be in touch for a week.”
Jurors heard they would not need to decide on a motivation or the true identity of El Money.
Atkinson said: “It does not matter whether they knew that the property they were targeting was connected to the Prime Minister or whether that formed part of their motivation.”
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to damage property by fire between April 1 and May 13 last year.
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Lavrynovych is also charged with damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life or being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 11th and 12th last year.
Lavrynovych, of Lewisham, south-east London, Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
The trial before Mr Justice Garnham was adjourned until Thursday.