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Policeman
Jonty Bravery was 17 when he was charged with attempted murder.
A teenager who threw a six-year-old boy from a 10th-floor balcony at London’s Tate Modern has been jailed for at least 15 years.
Jonty Bravery, 18, of Northolt, planned an attack and attacked young children last August, prosecutors said.
The victim suffered a hemorrhage in the brain, fractures in the spine and was left with life-changing wounds.
At Old Bailey, Ms. Justice McGowan said that Bravery intended to kill and “almost killed that six-year-old boy.”
“That boy has suffered permanent and life-changing injuries,” the judge said in her sentencing statements after Bravery admitted to the attempted murder.
“You went to the observation deck, you looked around and saw the victim and his family and you went to the boy and threw him over the railing.
“The fear he must have experienced and the horror his parents felt are beyond imagination.
“What you did on the day of this offense shows that you are a grave danger to the public. You planned it and seemed to revel in the notoriety.”
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AFP
The boy had been visiting London from France with his parents.
On August 4, Bravery made his way to the observation deck of the Tate Modern and the court heard that CCTV footage showed him following young children and looking over the bars.
Another video showed the victim, who had been visiting London from France, jumping ahead of her family along the platform towards Bravery.
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Prosecutor Deanna Heer said: “The defendant picked him up and, without hesitation, took him directly to the railing and threw him.”
The boy “fell headfirst to the ground,” landing on a fifth-floor balcony below, he added.
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The victim survived the 100-foot (30m) fall, but suffered life-changing injuries, including bleeding in the brain and multiple broken bones. He remains in a wheelchair.
He was transferred to a hospital in France in September, but will need medical assistance 24 hours a day until at least 2022.
In mitigation, Bravery’s defense attorney, Pippa McAtasney QC, said at the time of the attack that the teenager was under the care of the Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
The court heard that Bravery had a history of lashing out at the staff, but despite this, he was allowed to leave his home unsupervised for up to four hours straight.
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PA Media
Six year old boy taken by air ambulance to Royal London Hospital
McAtasney referenced a recording obtained by the BBC that revealed that Bravery told caregivers about his plans to kill a year earlier.
She said her parents’ letters revealed to the court that Bravery was diagnosed with autism and that “he is a beloved child.”
“Both parents strived to improve the quality of their lives and a safe and managed environment for their child,” he said.
“They had no inclination for their son to commit such a shocking crime. Those responsible for his care never communicated the content of the shocking prophetic recording that was revealed through the media.”
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Stuart haggas
A GoFundMe page has raised over £ 200,000 for the child’s medical treatment.
In a victim impact statement taken in February, the boy’s parents described Bravery’s actions as “indescribable.”
“Words cannot express the horror and fear that their actions have caused us,” the couple said.
“Our son, who now, six months later, wonders why he is in the hospital.
“How can you not see in every stranger a potential ‘villain’ who could cause immense pain and suffering?”
No member of the victim or Bravery’s family was present in court for sentencing.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesman said a serious review of the case was underway in Bravery’s care.
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