Two Ukrainian men have been jailed for conspiring to carry out arson attacks on a property and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer. Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted at the Old Bailey of plotting to damage property linked to the Prime Minister.
The men are believed to have carried out the orders of a Russian taskmaster. The court heard that an individual named El Money offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if the blazes were filmed and got on the news. Stanislav Carpiuc supported and encouraged his friend Lavrynovych and was going to help him convert the promised payment into cash.
The judge, Mr Justice Garnham, described Lavrynovych as a "useful idiot" who could be easily manipulated. He said he had been "easily bought" and "accepted the job as you had accepted other grubby little tasks". He said Carpiuc played a “supporting role” in the attacks.
In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Garnham told Lavrynovych: “You agreed to carry out this mindless piece of arson for money. You were not a man of great principle and you were easily bought.” He rejected the defendant’s claim he did not know the two houses he set fire to were occupied, saying: “You really didn’t care about that. I accept you did not intend to put the lives of the occupants at risk but it is my conclusion on both occasions you were utterly reckless about the risks you were creating.”
He added: “I accept that you were not the instigator of these attacks. You were acting on the instructions of El (Money). But you were happy to do whatever he wanted, regardless of who he was, who he worked for, or what his motivation was. You gave no thought whatsoever to the consequences of your actions. You were to El ‘a useful idiot’, a fool who could be manipulated to EL’s advantage. You were used by EL to advance some agenda or cause of which you knew nothing. You were essentially acting as a pawn for some unknown cause and putting the lives of people asleep in their beds at risk as a result.”
The court heard Lavrynovych had first set fire to a Toyota Rav4 which was once owned by Sir Keir. Days later, the front doors of two houses were set ablaze, including the Prime Minister’s home – which has been occupied by his sister-in-law since he moved to Downing Street. The north London attacks in the middle of the night while people were in bed asleep posed a serious threat to life and left householders terrified, the Old Bailey heard.
Lavrynovych was jailed for seven years and Carpiuc was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said: “The prison sentences in this case reflect the incredibly reckless actions of the two men involved. I would like to praise the swift work of the investigation team who identified the men involved within a few days of the fires. This was essential in ensuring that vital forensic and digital evidence was seized before it could be destroyed. One of the men – Carpiuc – was arrested at an airport, demonstrating how close he came to fleeing the country and escaping justice. Crimes, such as arson, being directed by anonymous online accounts promising payment, is a recurring trend in our casework. Our message to anyone who might be approached in this way, or thinking about doing similar, is to think again. As we’ve seen here, you will not get paid as you are promised, you will be identified and brought to justice, and the only thing you will be left with is facing the prospect of a lengthy jail sentence.”
