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The family of a boy thrown from the 10th-storey balcony of the Tate Modern seven years ago said it feels as though his recovery has taken a “sad step backwards” after surgery.
The unnamed French child was six when he was seriously hurt in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the London attraction in August 2019.
The child, who was on holiday with his parents, survived a 100ft fall but sustained life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and multiple broken bones.
His family, who call him “notre petit chevalier” – our little knight – said in an update posted on a GoFundMe page on Tuesday that the youngster’s rehabilitation is “proving longer and more difficult than expected” after surgery in January.
“He is still hospitalised in a rehabilitation centre because he is still unable to walk,” they said.
“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.”
The family added: “He is eager to be able to walk again and resume a normal life outside the rehabilitation centre, even if this normal life means spending half his time in treatment and only the other half at school.”
The family said he is keen to get out of hospital because they have “finally” found a school “perfectly suited to his needs”, which he was able to try out before his operation.
“In a very short time, he made new friends who have stayed in touch despite his extended absence,” they said.
“They encourage him and eagerly await his return. It’s a warm welcome he hasn’t received at school in a long time.”
Bravery, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 15 years.
He was in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but allowed out unsupervised.
In January, Bravery, 24, was jailed for 16 weeks after he was found guilty of assaulting two nurses at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire, in 2024.
