Family of child, 6, thrown off balcony at Tate Modern gallery give update
Tomorrow (4 August) marks seven years since a young boy was thrown by a stranger off the viewing platform at the Tate Modern gallery.
The then-six-year-old survived the 100-foot fall in London but was left with life-changing injuries.
His family have issued updates over the years and in a post shared last week, shared that he has ‘finally left the hospital’ after having a long stint in rehabilitation.
The fall had left the young French lad with multiple broken bones, a bleed on his brain and it’s said he has ‘weakness on the left side’ of his body.
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An update back in April had said how the ‘courageous as ever’ boy was ‘eager’ to ‘resume a normal life’ and return to school.
And it seems that managed to happen, as the latest update explains he was able to go back before the summer holidays began.
In 2020, Jonty Bravery pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years in 2020.
He was 17 at the time of the attack and was in supported accommodation but allowed out unsupervised.
The court was told that the autistic teen intended to select and kill someone. He was a stranger to the young child who was visiting London with his family from France.
Last year, an update from the boy’s family explained he had been practicing riding a tricycle was continuing to gain ‘cognitive endurance' as well as achieving his goal of being able to run, jump and swim again.
A surgery back in January had led to this long stint of being hospitalised in a rehabilitation centre and he was unable to walk. The family said it was proving longer and more difficult than expected’. He remains anonymous to this day.
New update in full
“Hello everyone! We hope you are doing well.
“We wanted to let you know that our little knight has finally left the hospital! His hospital stay was kept as short as possible because, despite our daily presence and encouragement, our son was becoming deeply disheartened and kept asking when he could go back to class and see his friends.
“It was a great joy for him to return to school shortly before the summer holidays; since the lessons were well-tailored to his needs and challenges, he was able to start learning again, and reuniting with his teachers and classmates put a smile back on his face.
“He has also resumed all his private rehabilitation therapies near his new school—specifically speech therapy, neuropsychology, and orthoptics—which had to be interrupted during his hospital stay. Furthermore, his physiotherapy has intensified; although he is once again able to take a few steps with a walker, his left leg remains very weak since the surgery, and he is still very apprehensive about putting weight on it.
“We plan to use the summer—at his request—to have him resume adapted swimming lessons so he can regain strength and confidence. We have also scheduled an intensive physiotherapy program and math tutoring sessions to help him catch up on the months of school he missed. But since our little knight is so determined and brave, none of this scare him.
“To celebrate the end of his hospital treatment, we were lucky enough to treat him to a tandem paragliding flight and sign him up for a short getaway with his friends from the *Éclaireurs de France* and his special needs educator. He was thus able to go to the seaside for a week, with a pirate theme!
“It will certainly be a busy summer. We are going to try to fully recharge his batteries (and our own) before the start of the school year, and to get back to a family routine as normal as possible.
“Thank you so much. We could not do so much for our child without your wonderful support. Have a lovely summer, and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
"The family of the child."
You can follow updates from the child's family on a GoFundMe page related to his case.
Jess Battison