Boy thrown from Tate Modern viewing platform can now stand unaided, says family

The Tate Modern gallery in London
AFP via Getty Images
Ellena Cruse28 September 2020

A boy who suffered life-changing injuries when he was thrown from the Tate Modern viewing platform can now stand unaided, family members have said.

The child, who was on holiday in London at the time of the incident, has now moved into a new recovery centre in his native France to continue his rehabilitation.

His progress comes more than a year after he was hurled from a 10th-storey balcony by teenager Jonty Bravery,18, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for attempted murder.

In a statement updating well-wishers about the seven-year-old victim’s progress, the boy’s family described how his condition has improved in recent months.

Jonty Bravery pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to attempted murder over the incident at the Tate Modern
PA

They said: “We are already seeing new progress: he can at last stand on his legs without any help or support!

“Furthermore, his memory is gradually improving: he can now remember activities he has done the same day or the day before!

“Regarding food, he now eats almost alone (after everything has been cut out and prepared for him) and, in a suitable glass, he begins to drink slightly thickened liquids!

“It’s very important progress.”

The family said the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spends his weekdays at the rehabilitation centre and stays with his family at the weekends.

The statement added: “At the moment, we are still far from home, but we have come close enough that our son’s friends can come and visit him more often, as well as our family.

“The lockdown had isolated us so much: it was really, really hard.

“We strongly believe in this new centre.”

A fundraising page for the victim has raised more than £250,000 towards his care.