A teenager who filmed a sofa being thrown from a balcony at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford has avoided a custodial sentence. The 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 12-month referral order and fined £426 by Stratford Youth Court on May 20.
The incident occurred on March 1 last year, when the boy’s 16-year-old friend picked up a seat from the second floor and hurled it over the balcony. The sofa narrowly missed shoppers below, crashing to the ground as a group of three people walked past moments earlier. Surveillance footage shows the 16-year-old throwing the seat and then running away, while the 15-year-old filmed the act.
The video went viral on social media with the caption ‘no way bro almost killed someone’. Both teenagers were arrested soon after. The 15-year-old admitted criminal damage and recklessly causing a public nuisance.
The 16-year-old who threw the sofa was sentenced separately on September 24, receiving a fine of £41 and an eight-month Detention and Training Order. The court heard that the reckless act could have caused serious injury or death.
