WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. Jonty Bravery, who threw a six-year-old boy from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern, has now added to his lengthy sentence by attacking two Broadmoor nurses, and it’s believed he’s ‘unlikely ever to be released’
On August 4, 2019, Jonty Bravery committed a crime so atrocious it instilled fear in the hearts of every parent in Britain – and his depraved acts didn’t stop once he was locked away at Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital.
In sickening scenes, Bravery threw a six-year-old boy headfirst from a viewing platform at London’s Tate Modern, laughing and smiling as terrified onlookers watched on.
Those who witnessed the attack could not believe what they were seeing. The boy’s own father initially believed the incident had to be “a joke” until he saw his injured son, lying far below. When he asked Bravery, then 17, whether he was mad, the teenager simply replied, “Yes, I am mad”.
The young victim, who is from France, thankfully survived the 100-foot fall from the 10th-storey balcony, but was left with life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and multiple broken bones. At the time of his trial in the summer of 2020, the Old Bailey heard how Bravery, now 24, was “unlikely ever to be released”.
Now, nearly six years on from his horror assault, Bravery, who was previously handed a life sentence, with a minimum 15-year term, has been handed an additional sentence of 16 weeks, after being found guilty of brutally assaulting Broadmoor nurses Linda McKinlay and Kate Mastalerz back in September.
READ MORE: Man who threw boy, 6, from Tate Modern balcony is handed another prison sentence
During this recent trial, the court heard how Bravery needs to be monitored by three staff members “24 hours a day, seven days a week”, and that he is kept in a room which contains just a mattress. Outlining how the attack unfolded, prosecutor Tom Heslop told the courtroom: “At around 9.30 at night, Mr Bravery asked to go to the toilet. After he used the bathroom, he attempted to climb a ledge and throw himself from it.” The nurses then attempted to restrain him, placing him onto his mattress before turning him onto his back.
Bravery then “kicked out towards Ms Mastalerz”, striking her in the thigh and “clawed across” Ms McKinlay’s face, causing blood to drip down her cheek. Body-worn footage showed the nurses struggling on the floor with Bravery before other staff members rushed into the room to assist. One frantic member of staff can be heard shouting, “Jesus Christ, do something!”
Ms McKinlay told the court this was the first time she had been attacked during her many years at Broadmoor. The grandmother, who was taken to the hospital for treatment, shared: “Jonty climbed up trying to get on to the windowsill. We were trying to coax Jonty down. We didn’t want him to hurt himself,” she continued. “He was screaming and shouting and kicking. We shouted for assistance.” She continued: “He attacked my face, he was clawing at my face. My eye and my face were all scratched. In the aftermath, I was very shaken. In all my years of being in Broadmoor, I’ve never been attacked.”
Meanwhile, Ms Mastalerz told of how she was left “shouting for help” as Bravery began kicking and scratching, leaving her with a bruised thigh in what she has described as a “very stressful situation”. Back in 2020, Bravery was jailed for another 14 weeks after admitting to attacking Broadmoor nursing assistant Sarah Edwards on the head and face before pulling her hair, and biting rehabilitation therapist assistant, Maxwell King, on his finger after he came to his co-worker’s aid.
Speaking at the previous trial for the Tate Modern attack, Bravery’s defence counsel, Philippa McAtasney, asserted that there was “no immediate cure” for her client’s mental health conditions, and cast doubt on the prospect of him ever being allowed back into the community.
As reported by Sky News, Ms McAtasney said: “We’re talking about this young man in whichever setting – either hospital or prison – for a very, very long period. The likelihood is this young man is unlikely ever to be released.” Following his arrest, Bravery, who has autism and a personality disorder, told officers that he had wanted to prove a point “to every idiot” who told him he had no mental health problems. He also asked the police if the incident was going to be reported on in the news.
He declared at the time: “I wanted to be on the news so everyone, especially my parents, could see their mistakes in not putting me in a hospital.” Horrifyingly, Bravery also told psychiatrists that when he threw the child from the balcony, he felt “indestructible” and “on top of the world”, adding that he’d be disappointed that the young boy hadn’t died, as he’d wanted to be “locked away for life”.
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READ MORE: Thug who threw boy, six, off the Tate Modern guilty of horrific attack on nurses
