A French boy seriously injured in a 2019 attack at the Tate Modern has finally been discharged from hospital, almost seven years after he was thrown from a viewing platform.
The boy, six at the time, was on holiday with his parents when then-teenager Jonty Bravery attacked him at the London art gallery on August 4, 2019. He survived a 100ft fall but suffered life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and multiple broken bones.
Family share update
His family, who call him "notre petit chevalier" – our little knight – said in a GoFundMe update that he was able to return to school briefly before the summer holidays.
"We wanted to let you know that our little knight has finally left the hospital! His hospital stay was kept as short as possible because, despite our daily presence and encouragement, our son was becoming deeply disheartened and kept asking when he could go back to class and see his friends.
"It was a great joy for him to return to school shortly before the summer holidays; since the lessons were well tailored to his needs and challenges, he was able to start learning again, and reuniting with his teachers and classmates put a smile back on his face."
Recovery and rehabilitation
In April, his family said his recovery had taken a "sad step backwards", but their latest update was far more positive.
The GoFundMe page was set up by nurse Vicky Diplacto, from Surrey, whose brother was paralysed in an incident overseas. The campaign has so far raised more than £500,000.
The boy continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation, including physiotherapy, speech therapy and neuropsychology.
Summer plans
To celebrate the end of his hospital treatment, his family are treating him to a tandem paragliding flight and a seaside getaway with friends. He also plans to resume adaptive swimming lessons and maths tutoring.
His family said: "It will certainly be a busy summer. We are going to try to fully recharge his batteries (and our own) before the start of the school year, and to get back to a family routine as normal as possible."
Attacker's sentence
Bravery, now 24, was living in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but had been allowed out unsupervised. A court later heard he intended to select and kill someone.
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 back in court earlier this year and was jailed for 16 weeks after being found guilty of assaulting two nurses at Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire, in September 2024. In 2020, he was given a 14-week jail sentence after admitting to attacking staff at the same hospital.
