Three men appear in court accused arson attacks on properties linked to Keir Starmer

Caption: Now being published by the BBC and the TimesID not confirmed. DO NOT USE UNTIL CONFIRMATION FROM PICTURE DESKPetro pochynokSource: UNKNOWN

Three Ukrainians who have been accused of setting fire to two properties and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer’s home have appeared in court.

Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 21, has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life over fires at two properties and a car linked to the Prime Minister.

Petro Pochynok, 34, who is also Ukrainian and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, who was born in Ukraine, are accused of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

The trio were arrested after emergency services responded to a fire at the Kentish Town home where Sir Keir lived before becoming PM and moving into 10 Downing Street.

Damage was caused to the property’s entrance, but nobody was hurt.

The PM is reportedly renting his Kentish Town home to his sister-in-law.

Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, where he is charged with arson (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)

A car linked to Sir Keir was set alight in the early hours of May 8 in the same street.

Locals described hearing a ‘loud bang’ moments before the fire erupted.

And in the early hours of Sunday, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to the Prime Minister.

One person was assisted to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus, LFB said.

Sir Keir has described the fires as ‘an attack on democracy’.

Lavrynovych and Carpiuc appeared at the hearing via videolink from HMP Belmarsh, and spoke only to confirm their identities and dates of birth via an interpreter.

Ms Justice Cheema Grubb told the court that Pochynok had refused to leave his cell for the preliminary hearing.

All three defendants were remanded in custody to next appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on October 17.

A provisional trial date was set for April 27 next year in front of a High Court judge.

A fourth person, a 48-year-old man, was arrested by police at Stansted Airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the incidents.

The Metropolitan Police said he had been released on bail until next month.

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