East London Indian restaurant arson: Two boys jailed for 10 years after attack

Two 17-year-old boys have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for an arson attack on an Indian restaurant in east London that left diners with serious injuries. The Old Bailey heard that the teenagers, armed with machetes, went into Indian Aroma in Gants Hill in August 2025, held the doors shut and allowed a third person to pour fuel around the room and set it on fire.

During a sentencing hearing on Friday, Judge Michael Grieve told the boys: "You were both fully aware of the almost inevitable consequences, namely to cause serious harm, up to and including death, to complete strangers." He said the victims "have suffered agonising and life-changing injuries – and it could have been worse" and said the attack was carried out in "cold blood".

The boys, who cannot be named because they are minors, were each given an extended sentence of 10 years in custody and a further three-year extended period under strict licence conditions. The court heard that eight customers were eating in the restaurant when the three entered. The third person went to the back of the restaurant and poured petrol over the floor and tables before the group fled in a stolen car.

Prosecutor James Dawes told the court, according to a report in the Ilford Recorder, that the attack had been carefully prepared. "The preparations for this attack were extensive and the execution of this attack was professional and clearly had been planned and rehearsed as each one of them had separate, well-defined roles," he said. He added that the customers were ordered to remain seated and threatened with long knives and swords. "The offenders took the decision to set light to the pool of petrol while the customers were still seated frozen in terror, guaranteeing burns would be caused to some or all of them," he said.

One woman was placed in a medically induced coma after her clothes melted to her skin. She suffered burns to 50 per cent of her body, including full-thickness burns to 45 per cent. Her husband was seen running from the restaurant while on fire and suffered mixed depth burns to 51 per cent of his body. The two accused had denied the offences, while their third accomplice was not part of the trial or last week's sentencing hearing. The case centred on an attack that the court was told was planned, violent and devastating for the victims.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends