UK Court Jails 2 British Teens To 10 Years For 2025 Arson Attack On Indian Restaurant

Two 17-year-old British teenagers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for their role in a planned arson attack on an Indian restaurant in London in August 2025 that left six people injured, including diners who suffered severe burns.

The teenagers, whose identities cannot be disclosed because they are minors, were convicted of arson with intent to endanger life after denying the charges. The attack targeted the Indian restaurant Aroma in Grants Hill, London.

According to the BBC, the teenagers entered the restaurant wearing masks and held the doors shut while a third person poured petrol around the premises and set it on fire. During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Michael Grieve KC described the attack as “sophisticated and professional” and said it had been carried out “in cold blood”.

A married couple in their twenties were among those dining at the restaurant when the attack took place. The attackers poured petrol on the woman, causing devastating burns across 50 per cent of her total body surface area, with 45 per cent of those injuries being full-thickness burns. She was placed in a medically induced coma while recovering.

Her husband managed to escape from the restaurant while on fire. He suffered mixed-depth burns covering more than half of his total body surface area.

During the hearing, the prosecution described the attack as a “completely traumatic and appalling incident” that had transformed the couple’s personal lives. Another victim told the court about the “agonising physical pain” suffered, while another said the incident had upended their life.

“You were both fully aware of the almost inevitable consequences, namely to cause serious harm, up to and including death, to strangers,” Judge Grieve told the teenagers.

The judge said the victims had suffered “agonising and life-changing injuries” and that the consequences could have been even worse.

“I have no doubt that you were carrying out this operation on the direction of some older and more experienced criminal who has not been identified… but you did so with cold blood,” he added.

The two teenagers were ultimately handed an extended sentence comprising 10 years in custody and a further three-year extended period.

The court heard that the attack was deliberately planned and involved the teenagers preventing people from escaping while the restaurant was set ablaze.