A hotel worker has told jurors how he refused to be involved in a friend’s “stupid” plan to set fire to a car linked to the prime minister, for money.
Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, and Ukrainians Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Petro Pochynok, 35, are on trial over a series of arson attacks allegedly on the orders of a shadowy contact called El Money.
In the early hours of May 8 last year, a Toyota Rav4 car which once belonged to Sir Keir Starmer was burnt out in Kentish Town. The blaze was only treated as suspicious after two more attacks on houses in north London connected to the Prime Minister days later.
Giving evidence on Wednesday, Carpiuc said Lavrynovych had begged him to film the first attack but he thought it was “stupid” and refused. “My reaction was immediate. I told him that he should stop thinking about that and obviously shouldn’t do something like that,” he told the court.
Carpiuc said he knew Lavrynovych was to be paid by El Money but did not know who he was. Lavrynovych had wanted the money to pay for his father’s medical treatment, he added. Lavrynovych has admitted the arson attacks but claimed he had been threatened by El Money.
Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, Lavrynovych, from Sydenham, south London, and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, deny conspiracy to damage property. Lavrynovych denies damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life. The Old Bailey trial continues.
