Gallery plunge French boy may never fully recover: UK court told

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, March 19, 2024


Gallery plunge French boy may never fully recover: UK court told
In this file photo taken on August 4, 2019 police, paramedics and fire crews are seen outside the Tate Modern gallery in London after it was put on lock down and evacuated after an incident involving a child falling from height and being airlifted to hospital. A British teenager who threw a six-year-old French boy off the 10th floor of London's Tate Modern art gallery will be sentenced on Thursday, June 25 for attempted murder. Daniel SORABJI / AFP.

by Sylvain Peuchmaurd



LONDON (AFP).- A six-year-old French boy who was thrown from a viewing platform at London's Tate Modern art gallery may never fully recover from his injuries, a court sentencing hearing for his attacker was told on Thursday.

Jonty Bravery, 18, has admitted trying to kill the child at the riverside tourist attraction on August 4 last year, in front of a crowd of horrified visitors.

His victim, who was visiting London with his family at the time, broke his spine, legs and arms as he fell on to a fifth-floor roof below.

A judge at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, was told he spent more than one month in hospital in Britain before being discharged for further treatment in France.

He suffered a significant brain injury, remains in a wheelchair and will require round-the-clock care until at least August 2022.

"Whether he will ever make a full recovery is not known," prosecutor Deanna Heer said.

The boy was "fortunate not to die" and the attack was "a whisper away from murder", she added.

Bravery, wearing a white t-shirt and dark shorts, followed proceedings via videolink from Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital in southern England.

At one point he was seen to crouch on the floor and pulled his t-shirt over his head. At other times he appeared to be asleep.

Psychopathy
The court was told that medics appeared to agree Bravery, who has pleaded guilty to attempted murder, has Autism Spectrum Disorder and a personality disorder.

Heer said a psychiatric report indicated his "callousness and striking lack of emotional empathy... is not typical of autism but is more typically found in psychopathy".

"The defendant fully understood the consequences of his actions and was capable of exercising self-control to resist acting in the way that he did," she added, citing the report.

At the time of the attack, Bravery was 17 and living in supported accommodation and under one-on-one supervision but was allowed out unaccompanied for short periods.




On the day, he was seen wandering about the Tate's viewing gantry moments before he "scooped up" the young boy and threw him head first over the railings.

The court was told the attack was planned and he wanted to prove he had a mental health condition and was not getting proper treatment.

Heer said Bravery was smiling, and laughed and shrugged when challenged about what he had done. But he said: "Yes, I am mad... It's not my fault. It's social services' fault".

"He said he wanted to be on the news so that everyone, especially his parents, could see what a mistake they had made by not putting him in hospital," she added.

Judge Maura McGowan was told the minimum sentence in such a case was 20 years in custody.

But consultant forensic psychiatrist Joanna Dow recommended Bravery should be detained in hospital and it was "hard to envisage" he would ever be released into the community.

McGowan said she would not pass sentence until Friday morning.

'Unspeakable' crime
The young boy's parents said in a victim impact statement they had barely left their son's side, and described the attack as "unspeakable".

"We have been so scared of losing him that now it is impossible for us to spend more than a few hours away from him," they added.

Their son, who cannot be identified because of his age, now found it hard to trust anyone, they said.

The couple have separately issued statements about his recovery through a GoFundMe page to raise money for his care. It has so far raised almost 234,000 euros ($260,000).

In May, they said he still struggled with speech, eating and drinking, and movement, although he could stand and take a few steps with the aid of a walker.

"There is still a long way to go but we are holding on, even confined and masked" because of the coronavirus outbreak, they said.


© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

June 26, 2020

When the Louvre reopens, it's going to be quiet

Gallery plunge French boy may never fully recover: UK court told

Phillips announces $10M Basquiat to highlight its 20th Century & Contemporary sale

Eiffel Tower reopens with strict virus restrictions

Facebook, citing looting concerns, bans historical artifact sales

Julie Rodrigues Widholm appointed to lead UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Sotheby's to offer the collection of Ambassador and Mrs. Felix Rohatyn across a series of sales this year

Christie's to hold an online sale highlighting the scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century

NSU Art Museum launches online collection with access to over 2,000 works

Museum Tinguely opens an exhibition of works by Pedro Reyes

Artcurial will close the season with its Furniture & Works of Art sale taking place on July 22nd and 23rd

Dutch photographer Bastiaan Woudt's first UK exhibition opens at Atlas Gallery

Charles Ede reopens its gallery space with ancient art due to have been shown at Masterpiece Art Fair

Miner becomes millionaire after finding biggest tanzanite stones

Luce Foundation emergency grants support American art

New sculptures to welcome guests back to The Garden and the Indianapolis Museum of Art this summer

Fine autographs & artifacts featuring animation at July 10 auction

Birmingham Museum of Art announces Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Robert Richardson Jr., biographer of literary giants, dies at 86

We don't have to like them. We just need to understand them.

Christie's and Maggie's announce partnership for online charity auction

Fry visible "Mae West" gas pump gavels for CA$7,800 at Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. online sale

RETNA massive painting leads Heritage Auctions' wildly successful Urban Art event

Robert Berry Gallery presents new works by London-based artist Machiko Edmondson

Online Divorce New York │ Why You Should Get One

Plastic parts- Injection molding- All you need to know

A Thread Of Love For Lovely Couple




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful