Boy thrown off Tate Modern’s Tenth flooring balcony takes ‘unhappy step backward’ in restoration
The family of the French boy, who was attacked by Jonty Bravery at the London art gallery in August 2019, shared an update on the GoFundMe page that has been set up to support him
Jonty Bravery threw the boy off the balcony(Image: PA)
The family of a boy who was thrown from the 10th-floor balcony of the Tate Modern art gallery have revealed that his recovery seems to have taken a “sad step backward”.
The French boy was just six-years-old when he was seriously injured in an assault carried out by then-teenager Jonty Bravery at the London attraction in August 2019. The French child, who was on holiday with his parents, survived a 100 foot (30 metre) fall but sustained life-changing injuries, including a brain haemorrhage and multiple fractures.
His family, who fondly call him “notre petit chevalier” – our little knight – posted an update on a GoFundMe page on Tuesday, revealing that the youngster’s rehabilitation is “proving longer and more difficult than expected” following surgery in January.
They said: “He is still hospitalised in a rehabilitation centre because he is still unable to walk. He has only been able to have weekend leave for the past three weeks, in a wheelchair, which frustrates him greatly: it feels like a sad step backward.”
In their last update in October, the family recounted how the boy had achieved his “long set” goal of being able to run, jump and swim again, reports the Mirror.
“He is eager to be able to walk again and resume a normal life outside the rehabilitation centre, even if this normal life means spending half his time in treatment and only the other half at school,” they said in the latest post. The family revealed he is particularly keen to leave hospital as they have “finally” found a school “perfectly suited to his needs”, which he was able to visit before his operation.
The post added: “In a very short time, he made new friends who have stayed in touch despite his extended absence. They encourage him and eagerly await his return. It’s a warm welcome he hasn’t received at school in a long time.”
The family said that they remain uncertain how much longer his hospital stay will need to continue. They wrote: “Our little knight, as courageous as ever, continues to fight and train, and we will remain by his side to support him no matter what.”
London nurse Vicky Diplacto, whose brother was paralysed following an accident abroad, established the GoFundMe appeal to assist. Bravery, now 24, was living in supported accommodation when the attack occurred but was permitted out without supervision.
He had planned to choose and kill someone, a court subsequently heard. Bravery, who was 17 at the time, admitted attempted murder and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years.
He was back in court earlier this year, where he was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison after being convicted of assaulting two nurses at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire, in September 2024. In 2020, he was handed a 14-week jail term after confessing to attacking staff at the same hospital.
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