The boy who suffered life-threatening injuries and broke multiple bones after being thrown 100ft off the 10th floor of the Tate Modern by a stranger is able to ‘run, jump and swim again’.
The unnamed French child, who has been called ‘notre petit chevalier’ (our little knight) by his family suffered a bleed on the brain as well as other injuries after disturbed teen Jonty Bravery, then 17, singled him out at the famous art gallery.
At the time of the 2019 attack, Bravery, who has autism, was in supported accommodation but was allowed to leave unsupervised.
During a trial, where he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was subsequently jailed for 15 years, it was heard that the attacker intended to select and kill someone at random.
The boy survived the 100ft (30m) drop, and spent several months in intensive care following the ordeal.
But six years on his family have issued a poignant update on his condition yesterday, revealing he had made huge progress since the attack in 2019.
Since, youngster set himself the goal of cycling from his home to the seaside – a 2.5 hour journey – which he completed this summer.
And while he is due to undergo another a major operation early next year, which will put him out of action for two months, he can now run, jump and swim again.
Emergency crews attending the scene at the Tate Modern art gallery on August 4, 2019
Jonty Bravery pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was subsequently jailed for 15 years following the attack
Reflecting on the summer, his family said: ‘Back home, he was also able to practice on his tricycle, always with his dad for his safety (because the splints are attached to the pedals, so he can’t get on and off the bike by himself).
‘As we live a few kilometers from the sea, they had set their final goal of having a picnic at the beach and then returning.
‘After several progressive training sessions, they finally completed their 2.5 hour journey. They returned exhausted but delighted. Mission accomplished!’
They explained while their son’s memory skills remain ‘very limited’, he is still function and improving.
‘He is acquiring a general knowledge at his own pace, which increasingly allows him to be included with other children,’ they added.
‘He’s also maturing, and thanks to his work with the psychomotor therapist, he now allows himself to relax.
‘Today, our pre-teen (we have to face the facts, he’s not a little boy anymore) has understood that he needs to give himself breaks; we need to remind him less.’
Although the teen has made considerable progress, the family have to move further afield to a middle school that would be able to accommodate his rehabilitation schedule.
‘Unfortunately, since he still has 10 rehabilitation sessions per week, he can only attend half the classes at this school.
‘For this reason, we are actively looking for a new school that would allow him to take all the subjects with a tighter schedule.
‘The only certainty is that this type of school exists, but not near our home, which means that we will have to move again soon so that our son maintains his chances of progress.
‘Finally, our little knight had long set himself the goal of being able to run, jump, and swim again,’ they added, while noting the young bay isn’t able to do so in the same capacity as other children of his age.
‘It’s different, only over a few meters or a very small height, but it’s an incredible achievement. We are happy that he has been able to reach this stage of progress before his next operation.’
The goal will be ‘essential’ to the young boy’s development before his operation at the beginning of 2026, which the teen is ‘apprehensive’ about, the family said.
‘But the surgeon is relying on all the progress he has made so far to reassure him of the future benefits and how much he will be able to do even better afterward,’ they added.
The statement was made via GoFundMe, which runs a fundraising page dedicated to his recovery, which has raised more than £476,000.
‘The coming months promise to be busy, but we will continue to devote all our energy to our little knight, who is always so courageous, and we will keep you updated on the various stages,’ the family said while thanking supporters.
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.