Boy thrown from Tate Modern balcony 'goes home'

The six-year-old boy taken by air ambulance to Royal London Hospital

A boy who suffered catastrophic injuries when he was thrown from the balcony of the Tate Modern has been able to visit home, his family said.

Last August the boy, aged six at the time and visiting London from France with his family, fell 100ft (30m) and suffered life-changing injuries.

Now, the boy's family says he is "happy to see his toys again".

Jonty Bravery, 18, who threw the boy from the balcony, was convicted of his attempted murder and jailed, in June.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spent time at Royal London Hospital before moving to a hospital in France.

During Bravery's sentencing, the court was told the boy would require round-the-clock care until at least 2022.

His injuries included a bleed to the brain and fractures to his spine and he has been left needing the use of a wheelchair.

An update posted on a GoFundMe site, which has raised almost £250,000 for the boy's medical care, said his parents were able to bring him home "just for a weekend".

"We took him to the sea and he was able to build sandcastles with a friend on the beach," the statement said.

"He stays seated in one place, and we bring him what he needs to build. He couldn't swim, of course, mainly because he still can't move around without his splints.

"He also returned at home for the first time and he was super happy to see his house and his toys again, even though he couldn't go upstairs to see his room."

The boy had been visiting London from France with his parents

The parents thanked the public for their continued support and said their son's reading, breathing and singing was improving "little by little".

"He still spends most of his day in a wheelchair and still cannot walk on his own," the statement added.

"But when we give him our hand, we don't need to carry his weight anymore like before - it is mostly about helping him to find his balance.

"He can walk a few metres like that and he now also manages to climb one or two steps, always with our help."

A GoFundMe page has raised more than £200,000 for the boy's medical treatment

Bravery, of Northolt in west London, who was diagnosed with autism from a young age, was jailed at the Old Bailey for at least 15 years.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has been carrying out a serious case review into Bravery's care as the council was responsible for the handling of it.

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In a victim impact statement in February, the boy's parents described to the court how Bravery's actions were "unspeakable".

"Words cannot express the horror and fear his actions have brought up on us," the couple said.

A spokesman for Tate Modern said: "A full security review was undertaken, as would happen after any major incident, and we continue to follow best practice guidelines to keep the public safe."