Parents of boy thrown off Tate balcony in 'unforgivable' attack say son may never trust again | London Evening Standard

Parents of boy thrown off Tate balcony in 'unforgivable' attack say son may never trust again

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The parents of a six-year-old boy who was thrown from the Tate Modern viewing platform say their son may “never trust mankind” again as he recovers from devastating injuries.

The boy was with his family on a holiday trip to the gallery when he was picked up and flung over the railings by Jonty Bravery, falling five storeys and suffering injuries to his spine, arm and legs, and brain.

The Old Bailey heard today how the parents have remained constantly by the side of their wheelchair-bound son over months of recovery, as he has learned again how to eat and speak.

In a victim impact statement, they revealed their anguish as their son slowly recovers from the ordeal while “wondering why he’s in hospital”.

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“How can one explain to a child that someone deliberately tried to kill him?” they said. “How can he now ever trust mankind?

“How can he not see in every stranger a potential ‘villain’ who could cause him immense pain and suffering?”

Jonty Bravery pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to attempted murder over the incident at the Tate ModernPA

The parents said their lives are "in ruins” as a result of the attack last August, having abandoned their family home and usual routines to be close to their son during his recovery in hospital in the UK and then after a transfer back to France.

“We have been so scared of losing him that now it is physically impossible for us to spend more than a few hours away from him, and only when we know family members are with him”, they said.

“We are emotionally and physically exhausted, we can’t see the end of the tunnel.”

They added: “Our son is alive and fighting, that’s all that matters.

“What happened on the roof the Tate Modern that day is unforgivable.”

The parents watched in horror as Bravery, 18, “scooped” up their boy and threw him over the railings, and angrily confronted the attacker afterwards as they struggled to comprehend what had happened.

The Tate Modern gallery in LondonAFP via Getty Images

More than £210,000 has been raised online by the public for the boy’s medical treatment, which is expected to continue round-the-clock until at least 2022.

Bravery is due to be sentenced for attempted murder tomorrow morning.