The rehabilitation young boy who was thrown 100ft off the Tate Modern balcony is ‘proving longer and more difficult than expected’, after an update was shared by his family.
The unnamed French child was on holiday with his parents on on 4 August 2019 when 17-year-old Jony Bravery threw him from a balcony on the 10th floor of the gallery.
The boy, who was six at the time of the attack, survived the fall but was left with life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain, fractures to his spine and broken bones.
Bravery was found guilty of attempted murder in 2020 following a trial at the Old Bailey. He was handed a life sentence and told he would serve a minimum of 15 years in prison.
His family, who call the boy “notre petit chevalier” (our little knight) revealed in an update on a GoFundMe page yesterday (Tuesday14 April) that his rehabilitation has taken a ‘sad step backward’ after surgery in January.
This news comes after the family shared a positive update in October last year, where they shared that the boy was “running, jumping and swimming” and found a place at the local middle school.
They said: “He is still hospitalised in a rehabilitation centre because he is still unable to walk. He has only been able to have weekend leave for the past three weeks, in a wheelchair, which frustrates him greatly: it feels like a sad step backward.
“He is eager to be able to walk again and resume a normal life outside the rehabilitation center, even if this normal life means spending half his time in treatment and only the other half at school.
“Our little knight, as courageous as ever, continues to fight and train, and we will remain by his side to support him no matter what.”
Relatedarticles
The family have said that the boy made friends at the new school and they have stayed in touch “despite his extended absence.”
The GoFundMe page regularly shares updates on the boy’s progress after it was set up in 2019 by a stranger who wanted to support the boy’s family and help raise money for medical treatment.
The page has currently raised over £510,000.
