Boy thrown from Tate Modern practising judo and archery

A boy thrown from the 10th floor of London's Tate Modern art gallery is practising a gentle form of judo and adapted archery as his condition improves, according to his family.

The French youngster was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the tourist attraction in August 2019.

Bravery, an autistic teenager, 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.

His victim, on holiday with his parents, survived the 30m fall but suffered life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones.

Bravery was convicted of attempted murder in 2020 and jailed for 15 years.

Posting on a GoFundMe page, which has raised nearly £354,000 for the youngster's recovery, his family said that he was increasingly taking part in physical activity as part of his treatment.

'Our son has always loved sports'

"Since September, we have returned to Paris several times to consult specialists because we have to monitor the development of our son's back, shoulder and hip, given his growth," they said. 

"We will now have to do this check every six months, to make sure that he does not need a corset again. Similarly, some new operations may unfortunately become necessary.

"In prevention, specialists recommend appropriate physical activity. This is why we have registered our son for equine therapy and the swimming pool with his specialised educator.

"And the latter also accompanies him, since the end of October, to judo. She does it very gently and does not let go of an inch on the tatami, of course.

"From time to time, we also take him for adapted archery. Our son has always loved sports, he is delighted to do all this."

'Our little knight has made considerable progress'

They added: "We have also found a new speech therapist, and thanks to her, our little knight has made considerable progress in swallowing and breathing.

"He's able to blow out candles again, he hardly makes any more wrong turns when he drinks liquids, and he's starting to keep the rhythm of the songs better.

"He is also pursuing orthoptics and his sight is improving further, as is his memory thanks to cognitive remediation sessions with his neuropsychologist.

"He remembers more and more things he did or was told during the day."

The family said that the boy had "very positive" school results, and added: "Our son's teacher and guide are both very happy with his progress: he manages to follow in class despite his difficulties, because he is extremely courageous and hardworking.

"Moreover, thanks to all his mobility progress (balance, left arm, muscle strengthening, etc.), he is increasingly able to play alone at home and in the hospital.

"This is a huge step towards his autonomy, even if he is still very dependent for very simple daily tasks (tuck his T-shirt into his pants, cut his meat, wash his hair, etc)."