Teenage yob, 15, avoids jail after filming friend hurling sofa from balcony in packed Westfield shopping centre

By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:17, 20 May 2026 | Updated: 20:29, 20 May 2026 The young yob who filmed his friend hurling a heavy sofa off the top floor of Westfield Stratford shopping centre has avoided jail. The teenager and his friend were arrested after a video bearing the caption 'no way bro almost killed someone' went viral on social media on 1 March last year. The now 15-year-old admitted to criminal damage of the £500 blue sofa chair which was hurled off a 50ft balcony at the busy east London mall. The 15kg chair narrowly missed punters on the ground floor before the pair shamelessly ran away.  The teen also pleaded guilty to recklessly causing a public nuisance. Judge Buttar sentenced the 15-year-old at Stratford Youth Court today to an intensive referral order for the maximum period as recommended by the Youth Offending Service. She told the boy: 'It is an absolute miracle that no one was harmed. It will be obvious to anyone that people escaped some form of personal injury. 'There is no doubt in my mind that this could have caused much higher harm. In the footage posted on social media, the boy, wearing a grey hoodie, can be seen hurling a blue seat from the top floor down to the bottom 'You could have filmed someone being killed that day. More than one person, in fact.' The 15-year-old, who was today wearing a grey jumper, tracksuit bottoms and black trainers, must also attend victim awareness intervention as well as 13 hours of community reparations where he is expected to 'work on his interpersonal skills.' The judge also imposed a three month doorstep curfew, 'which basically means you miss summer'. She added: 'It's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to stop you from doing this again. The only alternative I have is to send you to detention.' The boy's family will pay a victim surcharge of £26 and costs of £400. The older teen, now 16, had previously admitted recklessly causing a public nuisance and criminal damage, but was given an eight-month detention and training order.  Just three weeks before the offence, the court heard the 15-year-old was handed an antisocial notice for chucking 'pebbles and stones' off the same balcony and barred from entering Westfield. Speaking about the 15-year-old, Prosecutor Matthew Groves said: 'He said he never thought the sofa was going to hit anyone. 'He said he [and the other boy] regularly engage in pranks, including throwing objects off bridges and trains. At the time he thought it was funny...' It landed with a loud thud and just narrowly missed shoppers who were walking on the ground floor  He described the sofa as a 'large and ungainly item', adding: 'The item thrown was weighed 15kg and the distance it fell was estimated to be 50ft. 'The sofa very narrowly missed two to three members of the public walking on the lower level, which was still very busy despite it being late in the hour.' The prosecutor said the younger boy was arrested after being identified on CCTV, and during police interview he offered up the contact details for his friend who threw the sofa. Nimra Ashraf, defending, said the boy was 'peer pressured' into filming the incident by 'more dominant peers'. He told police: 'We were going to Stratford to chill, my friend said, "Should I throw this sofa?" And I said "It's up to you." 'He said to record it and I recorded it,' and later told officers he felt 'pressured' to go along with the prank. Ms Ashraf added the boy now expresses remorse, telling officers: 'I now know someone could have died and I would never do that again, I just want to say sorry.' She said psychiatrist reports suggests he had 'low level of maturity, emotional dysregulation, and susceptible to peer pressure' but has since 'developed his appreciation of risk and has more mature foresights.' The GCSE pupil, who is due to sit an English Literature exam tomorrow, said he wants to pursue an apprenticeship in bricklaying and 'be a successful musician'. But a Youth Justice Service counsellor described the boy's attitude as 'blasé', adding: 'I have had concerns that he is not necessarily taking it seriously, that it's a bit of fun. 'However, he is fully aware of the consequences, that someone could have been seriously harmed, and he needs to engage with this order and make changes.' Judge Talwinder Buttar said: 'Anyone who watches that video could not help but gasp. It is horrifying, and thankfully no one was hurt. 'It remains also [the boy] knew he wasn't supposed to be at Westfield that day, there had been a warning issued to them. 'I also have to balance the risk he may or may not pose to public safety as much as I am required to look at his welfare.' She asked the boy: 'What was going through your mind?' He replied: 'I thought it was a joke.' The judge said: 'And now? Because this is a serious offence, and you know that.' The boy said: 'It is not good, and I am stressed about it. Very sorry about that.' Asked how he would respond to claims that he was being 'blasé', he said: 'I care about it more now.' The judge said: 'Because you might go to prison?' He said: 'Yes, I don't want to go to prison.' 'Is there anything else you want to say to me?' He replied: 'Very sorry for what I did.'  The 15-year-old was accompanied to court by a family friend and his parents, who were aided by a sign language interpreter via video link. He had his hands in his pocket when he earlier admitted in March to recklessly causing a public nuisance and criminal damage to the £500 chair, which weighs more than 30lbs. Sentencing the 15-year-old, Judge Buttar said: 'This is a case that has attracted a lot of attention. And why wouldn't it? You filmed it and posted it online. 'When anyone looks at it, it is really hard not to be shocked at what happened. 'It happened in Westfield Stratford, which is one of the busiest places in London. 'This happened at 10:30pm but unsurprisingly even though it was late, there were still a lot of people there. There were families, children. 'You do this order, you go to every appointment they ask you to go to, you get there in time, you behave when you get there, and that'll be the end of it. 'But if you don't, you're late, you miss your curfew, I've asked youth offending service to bring you back to court immediately and ask you what has happened.' She accepted expert reports suggesting the boy is 'particularly vulnerable to social influences and peer pressure,' adding: 'You still lack some emotional maturity.'  The judge added: 'I expect you to make it up to your father... I sincerely hope I don't see you here again. I wish you the best of luck.' Last September, the older boy admitted recklessly causing a public nuisance and criminal damage. He was handed an eight-month detention and training order, of which he will serve half in a secure training facility. But that boy is due to appeal this sentence with a hearing expected at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 9 June this year. The 16-year-old boy had claimed that he and his friend regularly threw objects off bridges and trains as 'pranks'. He told officers under interview that the incident was 'not that deep' and the worst outcome was somebody needing 'hospital treatment.' No comments have so far been submitted. 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