Boy thrown from Tate Modern begins to walk again

Family say his memory is still ‘greatly affected’ and he can’t remember which day it is

The Tate Modern in London is pictured on 17 March, 2020. (Getty Images)

The young boy who was thrown off a viewing balcony at the Tate Modern last year has started to walk again with the help of a cane.

The child fell 100 feet after Jonty Bravery hurled him off the 10th-floor balcony in a random attack in August 2019, leaving the then 6-year-old with life-changing injuries. 

Bravery, 18, was sentenced in June to at least 15 years in prison for attempted murder and was told by the judge that he might never be released.

The boy, who cannot be named because of a court order, is back in his native France receiving treatment for his injuries.

His family announced that their “little knight” is making progress and can now walk with a cane, while they hold on to the back of his coat to aid his balance.

The news comes two months after it was revealed that he could first stand unaided.

The most recent update appeared via the founder of a GoFundMe page, which has so far raised more than €292,000 (£261,000) towards the costs of the boy’s medical treatment.  

“Despite everything, he continues to make efforts and progress: he begins to walk with a tetrapod cane while we hold him by the back of the coat for balance,” the boy’s family said in a statement.

He is now also in less pain and can now speak word by word rather than syllable by syllable, his family added.

However, the child’s memory is “once again greatly affected”, meaning he can no longer remember the day of the week or what he did on a given day.

He is currently spending 24 hours a day in hospital and is unable to go on weekend leave. In mid-August, he was able to head home for the first time and was “happy to see his toys again”, according to his family.

In June, his doctors said that he would require 24/7 care until at least 2022.