Starmer arson accused quizzed over ‘golden opportunity’ to protect grandmother

A Ukrainian man who set fire to property linked to the Prime Minister has been quizzed about a “golden opportunity” to protect his grandmother from a “threatening” taskmaster called El Money.

Instead of seeking help from police, Roman Lavrynovych, 22, lied and embroiled his grandmother and her elderly friend, and his co-accused Petro Pochynok, in false alibis, jurors were told.

The defendant initially denied involvement and even lied about the shoes he was wearing on the nights a car and two houses connected to Sir Keir Starmer were set alight in north London last May.

Lavrynovych has since admitted starting the fires but claimed he felt threatened by a “powerful” Russian-speaking Telegram contact El Money who told him he knew where he lived.

At the time, he was sharing a flat with his grandmother, her elderly female friend and two of his friends in Sydenham, south-east London.

Cross-examining on Wednesday, prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC pointed out the defendant had lied to police repeatedly after being arrested last May 13.

Mr Atkinson said: “If you were scared for your grandmother, would you agree police were best equipped on May 13 to protect her, so all you needed to do was ask for their help?

“Here you are with the people who can help your grandmother in a police station. However stressed you were you knew that and nothing could have been more important, if what you have said is true?”

The defendant agreed but said it was “difficult” for him because he was “stressed out at the time”.

At the end of his first police interview, an officer asked if anyone was “putting any pressure on you to do anything you don’t want to do”.

Mr Atkinson said: “Would you agree there was your opportunity to tell them if that was the case?”

Speaking through an interpreter, Lavrynovych replied: “I told everything later in my further interviews.

“I couldn’t tell this in my first interview because I knew police sometimes can’t be on my side, so I was afraid.”

The prosecutor pressed: “Here you are worried about what would happen to your grandmother, and realising police were the best people to help protect her as you have already told us.

“And here they are giving you the golden opportunity to tell them – if it were true – that you were under pressure. Do you agree?”

Lavrynovych said: “Yes, I know.”

Mr Atkinson said: “And yet, your answer was no.

“Was that because at that point at that interview you had not thought of an explanation for your conduct that involved pressure?”

The defendant said: “Yes, I didn’t know how to explain it. That’s why I said I had no pressure.”

In a later police interview, the defendant continued to protect El Money, telling jurors he was “not brave enough to tell the truth”.

Mr Atkinson said: “When asked if there was anyone you were protecting, your answer was not :’I need to tell you about El Money.’

“If he was someone you were actually scared of, here is the time to say it. Instead, you said no.

“Is that because you still hadn’t thought through the story you are now telling this jury? Because it is a story, isn’t it?

The defendant replied: “Yes, that is true.”

Mr Atkinson suggested: “You were motivated to do what you did not by threats, but by money, weren’t you?”

The defendant replied: “I was threatened with him but I also needed money to support my family.”

Lavrynovych along with co-defendants Stanislav Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, and Pochynok, of Islington, north London, deny conspiracy to damage property.

Lavrynovych also denies damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life or being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 11 and 12 last year.

The Old Bailey trial continues.