Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Ukrainian men deny plotting fires at properties related to British prime minister

Police Community Support Officers stand near the fire damaged doorway of a house belonging to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, 13 May, 2025
Police Community Support Officers stand near the fire damaged doorway of a house belonging to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, 13 May, 2025 Copyright  AP Photo
Copyright AP Photo
By Gavin Blackburn
Published on
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button

They men are accused of setting fire to Starmer's personal home, along with a property where he once lived and a car he had sold.

ADVERTISEMENT

Two Ukrainian men pleaded not guilty Friday to plotting fires earlier this year at properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Petro Pochynok, 35, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life between 1 April and 13 May.

They are accused along with another man, Ukraine-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, of setting fire to Starmer’s personal home, along with a property where he once lived and a car he had sold.

Carpiuc, 27, did not enter a plea during the hearing at London's Central Criminal Court.

Prosecutors said the case was not being treated as terrorism.

"Plainly they are coordinated and must have some motive or purpose behind them," Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions, 15 October, 2025
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to go to the House of Commons for his weekly Prime Minister's Questions, 15 October, 2025 AP Photo

A tentative trial date was set for April 27.

No injuries were reported from the fires in north London, which occurred on three nights between 8-12 May.

Starmer and his family had moved out of his home after he was elected in July last year and they live at the prime minister’s official Downing Street residence.

A Toyota RAV4 that Starmer once owned was set ablaze on 8 May, just down the street from the house where he lived before he became prime minister.

The door of an apartment building where he once lived was set on fire on 11 May and on 12 May the doorway of his home was charred after being set ablaze.

Starmer called the fires "an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for."

Additional sources • AP

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Britain's PM Keir Starmer accuses Nigel Farage of trying to divide UK at Labour conference

PM Starmer condemns Elon Musk's 'violence is coming' comments at UK anti-migrant rally

Starmer says UK will recognise Palestinian state unless 'appalling situation in Gaza' ends