Teenager Pleads Guilty to Westfield Stratford Chair-Throwing Stunt

A 15-year-old boy has pleaded guilty at Stratford Youth Court to criminal damage and recklessly causing a public nuisance after hurling a 15-kilogram seat from the top floor of the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, east London. Court documents state the teenager lifted the blue chair and threw it about 50 ft (15 m) over a glass balustrade during a 1 March prank that was filmed for social media. The £500 seat landed near shoppers, causing no injuries but prompting what a security officer described as ongoing “unease” among customers. Prosecutor Elizabeth Ajayi told the court the boy and a friend had previously carried out similar stunts, including throwing objects from bridges at trains. A more serious count of criminal damage recklessly endangering life was dropped. District Judge Talwinder Buttar granted the youth conditional bail ahead of sentencing on 13 August. Conditions include a curfew, a requirement to live at his home address, a ban on contacting the co-defendant and an exclusion order covering the E20 postcode. The second 15-year-old, who allegedly filmed the incident, denied the same charges and is scheduled to appear on 24 September.