The family of a young boy who was thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern has expressed concern that his recovery has suffered a "sad step backward". The French child, then six, sustained severe injuries in August 2019 when he was pushed from the London art gallery by Jonty Bravery.
He survived a 100-foot (30-metre) fall but was left with life-changing injuries, including a brain bleed and numerous broken bones.
His family, who affectionately refer to him as "notre petit chevalier" – our little knight – shared an update on a GoFundMe page on Tuesday. They revealed that his rehabilitation is "proving longer and more difficult than expected" following a surgical procedure 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.”
In their last update in October, the family described how the boy achieved his “long set” goal of being able to run, jump and swim again.
“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,” they continued in their most recent post.
The family said he is especially 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.”
The family said that they do not know how much longer his hospitalisation will have to continue, adding: “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.”
London nurse Vicky Diplacto, whose brother was paralysed after an accident overseas, set up the GoFundMe appeal to help.
Autistic Bravery, now 24, was in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but allowed out unsupervised.
He intended to select and kill someone, a court was later told.
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, as he was jailed for 16 weeks after he was 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.
