A violent thug who threw an 18-year-old woman off a fourth-floor balcony after she rejected his advances has lost his appeal against a 14-year prison sentence.
Yusef Ali, now 25, of Corry Road, Brixton, was jailed in 2020 for grievous bodily harm, affray, and possession of a knife after a party at a luxury flat in Empire Square, Bermondsey descended into violence.
A Night of Violence
Ali, then aged 19, had booked the flat with a friend for an overnight party. He had never met the victim before, but became aggressive, grabbing her and pulling her hair when she rejected his advances.
Later, around 9am, a separate group of men arrived and a fight broke out. Ali armed himself with a knife and stabbed two men during the scuffle.
As the 18-year-old girl attempted to flee by calling a lift, Ali chased her, and as she called for help on the balcony, he pushed her over the fourth-floor ledge, the court previously heard.
She survived the fall but sustained a fractured neck and back. Police described her survival as “sheer luck.
Appeal Rejected
In March 2025, Ali attempted to appeal his sentence, claiming fresh expert evidence suggested the victim may have fallen by accident rather than being pushed.
An “engineer and falls expert” argued that based on centre of gravity mechanics, it would have been difficult for the victim to be pushed over the balcony’s balustrade. The expert claimed that if pushed, she would have likely fallen head-first.
However, Court of Appeal judges dismissed the bid, stating that the expert should have been presented at the original trial.
Mrs Justice Thornton said:
“It would subvert the trial process if a defendant convicted at trial were generally free to mount on appeal an expert case which, if sound, could and should have been advanced before the jury.”
She added that evidence at trial showed the victim was leaning over the balcony, which diminished the value of the expert’s claim.
The court concluded that Ali’s conviction was safe, and the appeal was rejected.
Police Reaction
Following the original conviction, Detective Constable Tom Waller from the Met’s Central South CID said:
“Ali violently pushed an innocent woman off a fourth-floor internal balcony in a fit of rage, having already stabbed two men.
It was only by sheer luck she wasn’t more seriously injured. This incident has had a huge impact on her life.”
