The loved ones of a young French boy who was thrown off the 10th floor of a major London art gallery have shared an update on his health
The family of a young boy who was thrown from the 10th floor of an art gallery six years ago have shared an important update.
The unnamed French child was six when he was suffered a bleed on the brain and broken bones in an attack at the Tate Modern in London. He endured extreme and life-changing injuries in the 30 metre drop after he was thrown by teenager Jonty Bravery in August 2019.
The young boy’s family issued a poignant update on his condition yesterday, revealing he had made huge progress and can now “run, jump, and swim again”.
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The kid – dubbed the ‘Little Knight’ by his family – set himself the goal of cycling from his home to the seaside, a 2.5 hour journey, which he completed this summer. While he is due to undergo another major operation early next year, which will put him out of action for two months, he can now run, jump and swim again.
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!
The family added that his memory skills are still very limited but they are improving 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.
“Previously, to compensate for his weakness on the left side, he kept his right side constantly tense, which caused him pain. 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.”
His family said he was thankfully able to find a school that would accommodate his health needs as he still needs “10 rehabilitation sessions per week” but “can only attend half the classes at this school”. Despite this, his family are looking for a new school that would allow him to take all of his classes and fit in his strict rehab schedule.
They said: “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. They added: “Indeed, he will have to be immobilized again for nearly two months in early 2026. This is an essential step for him to progress further and reduce his pain, but we know it will be a difficult milestone to overcome.
“Our son is apprehensive about this operation, 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.” His family shared the poignant update on their GoFundMe page set up for his recovery journey – which has raised over £476,000.
Bravery was 17 and in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but was allowed out unsupervised, reports at the time said. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was jailed in 2020 for at least 15 years.
