Two 17-year-old teenagers have been convicted of arson with intent to endanger life after they poured petrol over customers inside an east London restaurant and set them on fire, leaving two victims with critical burn injuries.
Attack at Indian Aroma Restaurant
The attack took place on August 22 last year at Indian Aroma restaurant in Gants Hill, east London. The teenagers, who cannot be named due to their age, drove to the restaurant armed with machetes after one of them stole several litres of petrol from a nearby petrol station.
One teen taunted diners while his accomplice stood ready with a lighter as petrol was splashed across the floor, furniture and customers. Once the restaurant had been doused, a taper was lit, triggering a fireball that engulfed the premises.
Aftermath and Investigation
The pair fled the scene before emergency services arrived, driving away in a stolen Toyota Prius. Detectives launched an investigation, piecing together CCTV footage, traffic camera images and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data to trace the suspects' movements.
Investigators established the stolen Prius left Peckham shortly after 7pm before travelling to Barkingside, where CCTV captured one of the teenagers filling canisters with stolen petrol at a filling station. The pair then drove to Indian Aroma before carrying out the attack. Both teenagers were arrested around two weeks later.
Conviction and Sentencing
Following a seven-week trial, both teenagers were found guilty of arson with intent to endanger life and possession of an offensive weapon. They were remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced on October 2.
Detective Inspector Emma Sharp, who led the investigation, said: "This group tried to outmanoeuvre the police and avoid the consequences of their premeditated violence, but today's outcome showcases that our detectives can unravel multifaceted incidents to secure justice and take dangerous offenders off our streets." She added: "The August attack impacted dozens of innocent people, and I'd like to thank the victims and witnesses for their steadfast resilience since the incident, and throughout the trial."
