Boy thrown from Tate Modern balcony able to play by himself nearly five years on from attack
10 June 2024, 13:48
A boy thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern art gallery nearly five years ago is now able to play by himself and with his dog.
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The unnamed French child was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by teenager Jonty Bravery in August 2019.
He suffered life-changing injuries in the 100ft (30m) drop but his parents have shared how he is now gaining more independence in an update via a GoFundMe page.
The family said: "He can go play in the garden with the dog, sit down to draw, build with his Legos, take a board game or read in his room.
"He is more careful in his movements and in his actions in general, which allows him to start helping in the house by feeding the dog for example, or clearing his plate.
"He is very proud now to be able to open his shutters by himself and above all to finally access the refrigerator to serve himself his dessert."
The boy, who was on holiday with his parents, suffered a bleed on the brain and broken bones.
The fundraising page was set up by London nurse Vicky Diplacto to help the child with his recovery.
The family shared that the boy’s strength has improved on the left side of his body which has helped with his stability.
They said: "This progress allows him to guide his horse a little alone, at the horse-assisted therapy with adapted reins."
The youngster is continuing to “progress” and “learn new concepts” at school, despite having to work a lot harder than the other children to keep up with lessons, the parents said.
They added: "His memory has greatly improved. He is now able to remember events that happened to him that same day or to talk spontaneously about a subject mentioned an hour previously.
"This remains very fragmentary compared to normal, but it is enormous progress which really helps our daily life."
"We continue to be proud of our son's efforts and his progress. We are in awe of his courage.
"As always, a huge thank you to all of you for following and supporting us throughout our son's healing journey. We stay on course and don't give up."
The boy’s parents shared on the GoFundMe page in February that their son was learning to swim.
Bravery, who was 17 at the time of the attack, was in supported accommodation but was allowed out unsupervised.
The autistic teenager intended to select and kill someone, a court heard.
He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was jailed in 2020 for at least 15 years.
