The family of a boy thrown from the 10th floor of London’s Tate Modern art gallery have said their “little knight sees better and better” as medics noted a clear improvement in his eyesight.
The French child was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by Jonty Bravery at the tourist attraction in August 2019.
Bravery, who was a teenager at the time of the attack, was in supported accommodation but allowed out unsupervised. He intended to select and kill someone, a court was later told.
His victim, on holiday with his parents, survived a 100ft (30-metre) 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.
In an update, the victim’s family said he had shown increased dexterity and responsiveness. Posting on a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than €377,000 (£332,000) for the boy’s treatment and rehabilitation, his family said: “A clear improvement for his sight was noted by his orthoptist who prescribed him new glasses with a much smaller correction: our little knight sees better and better.”
The boy can ride a tricycle, and his wardrobe has been adapted to remove buttons and laces so he can dress himself. His family said the start of the new school year had gone well but he still had “great difficulties with writing and with his memory”.
They added: “Sadly, he also has a really hard time making friends because of his fatigue and the wheelchair which prevents him from playing like the other children in the playground.”
In July, the boy’s family took him to an adapted holiday home in the Massif Central mountain range in southern France to train him to walk with a cane.
They said: “We had to catch him countless times, but he made progress in mastering his balance, starting at the end of the fortnight to lean his shoulders forwards or backwards, depending on the slope. A real little adventurer.”
As part of his recovery, the boy goes to a swimming pool with a specialised therapist and his family said he was “beginning to be able to close his mouth in the water”. They added: “We know the road is still long but our little knight is not giving up. His courage and his efforts are just incredible.”
