Ukrainian man found guilty of setting on fire houses linked to UK PM Starmer

LONDON - A Ukrainian man was found guilty on Monday of carrying out an arson attack on a property connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May last year.

Over five days, police were called to fires at a house in north London connected to Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live and his sister-in-law still does, and to a blaze involving a Toyota car that also used to ​belong to the British leader.

Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was found guilty at London's Old Bailey Court of two counts of committing arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life.

Lavrynovych and Romanian ​national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, who was born in Ukraine, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. Fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the same charge.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sarah Young and Joe Bavier)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 7:14 AM.