A jury heard of three fires over five days linked to Starmer, allegedly planned with “promised payment” via crypto from a contact called “El Money”. Defendants deny charges.
LONDON — A courtroom has heard prosecutors argue that a series of fires linked to Keir Starmer went “beyond coincidence”, with alleged payments arranged through cryptocurrency.
At the Old Bailey on Wednesday, Duncan Atkinson told jurors that three arson attacks over five days were “planned and directed”, involving a contact prosecutors describe as using the name “El Money”.. The case centers on allegations that the attacks were carried out deliberately at night, when occupants were asleep, raising the risk of harm to people inside.
The first incident, jurors heard, took place on May 8 last year.. A Toyota Rav4 once belonging to Starmer was allegedly set alight on Countess Road in Kentish Town.. Atkinson said white spirit was purchased as an accelerant at a B&Q store and captured on video as part of the alleged preparation and execution.. A woman who had bought the car in September 2024 was reportedly woken by the commotion and saw flames at about 2.53am.. Investigators later seized the vehicle after further fires emerged and examined it, concluding the burning was most likely deliberate.
Prosecutors also said a second attempt followed soon after.. Later that day, the defendant Lavrynovych was allegedly recorded on CCTV returning to B&Q to buy more accelerant.. Atkinson told the court it was part of a plan to “finish the job” after a complaint about the video quality of the earlier fire.
Three nights later, the alleged pattern repeated, the jury was told.. A blaze was reported at a house in Ellington Street, which prosecutors said was managed by a company where Starmer had once been a director and shareholder.. The court heard video evidence allegedly showed a lit match thrown onto accelerant at the doorstep.. A resident in the top-floor flat reportedly smelled smoke about half an hour later and escaped to the roof to call the fire brigade.
In the early hours of May 12, Atkinson said another property on Countess Road was deliberately set alight.. Prosecutors allege the address still belonged to Starmer and was occupied by his sister-in-law.. Atkinson argued that each attack was carried out in the “dead of night” while people slept, and said that by setting a front door on fire—potentially blocking escape—an intent could be inferred to endanger lives.
A central theme of the prosecution case is alleged motivation through money.. Atkinson told jurors Lavrynovych had been offered payment by a contact using the name or pseudonym “El Money,” and that messages were communicated in Russian, unlike other language used by the defendants.. The court heard that more than 300 messages between Lavrynovych and “El Money” had been recovered, which prosecutors said indicated a “good working relationship” over seven months and a willingness to recruit others.
The prosecution also addressed a potential defence narrative.. Atkinson told jurors Lavrynovych may claim he was pressured by a “shadowy figure” who threatened him and his family.. Prosecutors, however, argued that the volume of messages and the payment arrangement point to financial reward rather than fear.. In the aftermath of the alleged attacks, the court heard “El Money” encouraged Lavrynovych to flee London, and referenced steps to avoid detection if police detained him.
From a broader perspective, the case illustrates how modern communication methods can be woven into older forms of violence.. The mention of cryptocurrency payments and detailed messaging, if accepted by a jury, may shift how investigators assess similar incidents—less as isolated vandalism and more as coordinated activity involving planning, incentives, and operational instructions.. For residents, the practical impact is clear: arson attacks carried out at night can transform a threat to property into a threat to survival, particularly in homes made up of multiple flats where escape routes may be compromised.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to damage property by fire between April 1 and May 13 last year.. 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 11 and 12.. Lavrynovych, of Lewisham, south-east London; Carpiuc, from Romford, east London; and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, have pleaded not guilty.. The trial continues.
Even as jurors focus on alleged intent and the mechanics of the communications, the prosecution’s framing remains sharply consistent: that the timing, preparation, and repeated nature of the fires point to design, not coincidence.. And while jurors were told they may not need to decide the true identity of “El Money”, the alleged role of the contact—through payment promises and instructions—could prove pivotal to how the case is understood and ultimately judged by the court of law under the MISRYOUM lens.