Boy thrown from balcony at Tate has swimming lessons

A BOY who was thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern in a random attack nearly five years ago is now learning to swim.

The unnamed French child was six when teenager Jonty Bravery threw him from the viewing platform at the gallery in August 2019.

The boy had been visiting London with his parents on holiday and suffered severe injuries from the 100ft fall, including a brain bleed, spine fractures and broken limbs.

He spent a month in hospital in the UK before being discharged to France.

An update from his family on a fundraising page says the boy is enjoying school, making progress with his walking and balance, and has started taking swimming lessons.

The fundraising page was set up to help support his recovery following the attack and continues to receive donations. So far it has raised more than £374,000 and has posted a series of updates on the boy’s condition over the past five years.

In a latest update, the boy’s parents, who have also not been named, described their son as “courageous” and praised the help of his classmates.

They wrote: “We finally managed to find a swimming instructor who, despite the complexity of the task, agreed to give swimming lessons to our little boy. The aim is to enable him to gain autonomy in the water, despite his limitations.

“Our son is thus rediscovering old sensations and is very happy with the progress he is able to make, he managed to touch up the bottom of the small pool

‘Our son is thus rediscovering old sensations and is very happy with the progress’

bath with one hand, like before.”

They added the boy has also been to Paris for check-ups with surgeons and no longer needs an operation on his left arm as his mobility has improved, but said he will still need surgery for other issues. The family have adopted a dog “who brings life and joy to our home”.

Bravery, who was 17 and living in supported accommodation at the time of the attack, had been allowed out unsupervised. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was jailed in 2020 for at least 15 years.