Teenagers sentenced after 15‑kg sofa thrown at Westfield

Two teenagers have been sentenced after throwing a 15-kilogram sofa from an upper floor of the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, London, narrowly missing shoppers below. The incident occurred on March 1 of last year, and newly released CCTV footage shows the moment the heavy chair crashed onto the ground floor concourse.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, lifted the round, blue chair and pushed it over a second-floor balcony. His 15-year-old friend filmed the act. The footage they recorded was later shared on social media with a caption stating, "no way bro almost killed someone." The video circulated widely, drawing public condemnation for its recklessness.

In the CCTV footage, a group of three shoppers is seen walking past the exact spot where the chair landed just moments before it smashed onto the tiled floor, causing them to spin around in shock. Other witnesses are shown leaping back, freezing in fear, and then quickly moving away. Police identified and arrested both teenagers shortly after the incident.

Both youths pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage and recklessly causing a public nuisance. At Stratford Youth Court, the 15-year-old was...