Boy thrown from Tate Modern can now run, jump and swim
The family of the little boy who survived being thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern art gallery in London said that the child achieved his goal of running, jumping and swimming again.
The French boy was six when he was thrown from a balcony by Jonty Bravery, then 17.
The boy was attacked while on holiday with his family in August 2019 and survived a 30-metre fall with life-changing injuries including a brain haemorrhage, fractures to his spine and broken arms and legs.
His family announced the latest situation GoFundMe page £487,954 has now been raised to provide medical care and rehabilitation for the body. They confirmed that he was able to make progress in his running, jumping and swimming skills before his next surgery.
The family said in a statement: “Our little knight has long set himself the goal of running, jumping and swimming again. Of course, he cannot do this like other children his age, but now we cannot describe what he does in any other way than running, jumping and swimming.”
“It’s different, only a few meters or a very small height, but it’s an incredible achievement. We’re happy he was able to reach this stage before his next surgery. He will actually need to be immobilized again for around two months in early 2026.”
“This is an important step for him to progress further and reduce his pain, but we know this will be a difficult milestone to overcome. Our son is apprehensive about this surgery, but the surgeon is confident in all the progress he has made so far to reassure him of future benefits and that he can do even better afterwards.”
The family added that the child’s memory skills are still limited but “functional and still developing,” meaning he will acquire general information at his own pace. At the same time, working with a psychomotor therapist helps him mature and relax.
“Today, our pre-teen (we have to face facts, he’s not a little kid anymore) realized he needs to give himself a break; we need to remind him less.”
He has also found a place at the local secondary school, but can only attend half of the classes as he still has to do 10 rehabilitation sessions a week, meaning the family is considering moving to find a new school to stay at.
Autistic teenager Bravery was in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but was allowed out unsupervised.
He was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison for attempted murder and may never be released.
Sentencing him in June 2020, Mrs Justice McGowan said: “You had planned to kill someone that day; you almost killed that six-year-old boy.”
“You will spend most, if not all, of your life in custody… you may never be released.”
