Two teenagers convicted over Gants Hill restaurant arson

Two 17-year-old boys have been convicted of arson with intent to endanger life and possessing a bladed article following a "professionally planned" attack on the Indian Aroma restaurant in Gants Hill. The incident on August 22 last year saw masked assailants douse customers in petrol before setting the room alight, causing severe, life-changing injuries.

The court heard that eight customers dining at the restaurant in Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill, Ilford, had their evening shattered when the attackers stormed in around 9pm. The prosecutor, James Dawes KC, told the Old Bailey that the teenagers guarded the door with machetes while another individual poured petrol across the floor and tables. The court was told that petrol was then poured onto the back of a seated customer.

After this, the group retreated and held the door mostly shut before igniting a slip of paper, causing an explosion. Mr Dawes KC stated that the customers, who had been ordered to stay still, were burned. The attackers then fled the scene, with emergency services, including six London Fire Brigade vehicles, attending.

Extensive planning and preparation

The prosecutor highlighted the extensive preparations for the attack, describing its execution as professional and clearly planned and rehearsed, with each assailant having well-defined roles. He added that the offenders' decision to set light to the pool of petrol while customers remained seated guaranteed that burns would be caused.

The court heard details of the injuries sustained. A young married couple in their 20s were dining at the restaurant when the attack occurred. The woman, who had petrol poured on her, sustained burns to 50% of her total body surface area, with 45% being full-thickness burns. She was placed in a medically induced coma after her clothing melted to her skin.

Her husband sustained mixed-depth burns to 51% of his total body surface area, and was seen running out of the restaurant on fire. Mr Dawes KC described the incident as a "completely traumatic and appalling incident" that had transformed their personal lives. Another victim spoke of the "agonising physical pain", while another's life was said to have been "upended".

Lawyers representing the teenagers offered apologies for the victims' injuries. Mark Graffius KC, for one defendant, stated the petrol was not deliberately poured on the customer's shoulders, nor was it lit while customers were all seated. Nneka Akudolu KC, for the other defendant, said her client was sorry for the "painful and life-changing injuries" and asked the court to consider a future for him.

The two teenagers had denied the offences but were convicted after a six-week trial earlier this year. Sentencing is ongoing.