Boy, 16, charged over Gants Hill restaurant fire

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with arson following an Ilford fire

A teenage boy has been charged with arson after six people were injured in a fire at an east London restaurant.

Three women and three men were taken to hospital when a blaze ripped through the Indian Aroma restaurant on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill, Ilford, on 22 August at about 21:00 BST.

The Met Police said the 16-year-old boy had been charged with six counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

He appeared at Croydon Magistrates Court on Monday, 8 September, and was remanded to a youth detention centre. He will appear at the Old Bailey on Monday, 6 October.

Staff and customers were inside Indian Aroma when three masked men walked in, the prosecution said.

Croydon Magistrates' Court heard petrol was poured around the premises before it was engulfed in flames.

Barrister Suleman Hussain said one woman suffered 58 burns covering her upper body and face, and a man was left in a coma with life-changing injuries.

Part of the ground floor of the restaurant was damaged, and crews rescued five people from the restaurant, while nine others escaped before their arrival, London Fire Brigade said.

One witness described the blaze as "like a scene from Halloween".

A 56-year-old man, who was arrested on 24 August on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, has been released on bail, the Met Police said.

Two 16-year-old boys, who were arrested on 5 September on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, were also both released on bail.