Today, two out of the three men accused of planning arson attacks on two residences and a vehicle associated with Keir Starmer entered not guilty pleas for conspiracy to commit arson with the intent to endanger lives.
Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Petro Pochynok, 34, who are from Ukraine, officially presented their pleas through a video connection from HMP Belmarsh located in south-east London.
The court clarified that the prosecution does not assert any terrorist links or national security concerns regarding this case.
The third defendant, Stanislav Carpiuc, a Ukrainian-born Romanian citizen aged 26, also participated in the proceedings but refrained from entering a plea as he recently parted ways with his legal team.
All three defendants, situated in different sections of the same prison, communicated with the court through interpreters, including a Russian translator for Carpiuc.
Lavrynovych, an aspiring model residing in Sydenham, South East London, was seen wearing a grey prison-issued tracksuit.
Pochynok, who lives in Islington, North London, and roofer Carpiuc, from Chadwell Heath, East London, were also dressed in grey tracksuits.
Regarding Carpiuc, who had multiple consultations with his previous legal team, the court noted that he submitted an insufficient witness statement, while the other defendants have not submitted any statements yet.
Presiding at the Old Bailey, Her Honour Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb scheduled a joint court appearance for all three on November 28 for further case management, anticipating a trial in the coming year.
She emphasized to the defendants the seriousness of the case and characterized the circumstances as “unclear.”
The charges against them stem from three distinct incidents that occurred within a span of five days.
The initial incident took place on May 8 when a 2018 Toyota Rav 4, previously owned by the prime minister before being sold to a neighbor, was discovered ablaze on a street in Kentish Town, north London.
Three days later, a fire was detected at flats linked to the PM in nearby Islington, resulting in the rescue of an individual by firefighters with breathing apparatus.
Lastly, on May 12, another fire was found at the entrance of Sir Keir’s rented four-bedroom