'Our little knight': Boy thrown from 10th floor of Tate Modern 'precariously' walking and watching films again
3 September 2023, 22:22
A boy who suffered life-changing injuries after he was pushed from the building is now 'precariously' walking again.
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The boy, from France and who was aged 6 at the time, was pushed from the 10th floor of the London Tate Modern art gallery in August 2019.
Despite the 100ft drop, he survived the fall but suffered life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones.
After years in his wheelchair, his family have now revealed that he is now less reliant upon it and is able to bend down, squat and reach for his toys as well as grab clothes from his wardrobe without falling or dropping the items.
They wrote on their Gofundme page: "Our Little Knight is always fond of walks, steep paths and adventure, but he falls much less than last year. We still have to catch him, of course, but much less frequently. This makes outings much less tiring for us and more enjoyable for him.
"More importantly, he now only uses his wheelchair for long outings,” his family said.
“We are therefore rearranging the house to adapt it to its new mode of travel: precarious walking.”
After the incident the French boy spent months in intensive care, his family said.
Four years on he still has to undergo intensive physiotherapy, but he now calls his daily exercises his “Naruto training”, which references an anime ninja character known for his willpower.
His family added: “It's a lot of work but our son loves it, his efforts pay off.”
The boy’s attacker, Jonty Bravery, was convicted of attempted murder in 2020 and jailed for 15 years.
They also said that his memory is progressing which has helped him to watch films with his family, as he previously found it too exhausting.
“We also took advantage of this summer to try watching films again as a family. Until now, it was too tiring for our son and he didn't remember anything from it, but it's finally starting to improve.”
Now, as the new school year is due to start, he’s planning to attend class each morning for the first time, followed by group care and rehabilitation in the afternoons.
