Overview
- An Old Bailey jury on Monday found Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc guilty of conspiring to commit arson and convicted Lavrynovych on specific arson counts, while co-defendant Petro Pochynok was acquitted.
- The offences in May 2025 included a Toyota once owned by Sir Keir being set alight and two separate house fires, one at a property rented to his sister-in-law, with the court hearing that the night-time blazes posed a serious risk to occupants.
- Prosecutors presented video and message evidence that an anonymous Russian-speaking Telegram contact called 'El Money' recruited the men, offered about £3,000 in cryptocurrency to film the attacks, and gave detailed instructions on targets and methods.
- Counter Terrorism Policing London said there is no indication 'El Money' represents a state threat and described the incidents as criminal proxy attacks meant to cause fear and disruption rather than politically directed terrorism.
- The convicted men were remanded in custody for sentencing later this week and investigators say the organiser's identity remains unknown, raising fresh questions about how encrypted messaging and crypto payments enable outsourced violent crimes.