As reported by Rebecca Whittaker of The Independent, the man who threw a six-year-old from Tate Modern’s 10th-floor balcony has been sentenced to 16 weeks in jail for attacking two nurses at Broadmoor Hospital.
Jonty Bravery, 24, who is autistic, kicked one nurse in the thigh and scratched another’s face, causing bleeding, in September 2024. He was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, with the punishment running at the same time as his life sentence, which has a 15-year minimum for attempted murder. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, who found him guilty in November 2025, gave the sentence.
He did not attend the trial and refused to appear by video. The assaults happened while nurses Kate Mastalerz and Linda McKinlay tried to stop him from climbing a window ledge in his cell to harm himself.
How did Jonty Bravery assault nurses at Broadmoor?
Nurse Kate Mastalerz confirmed that Bravery kicked out towards her, striking her in the thigh. Nurse Linda McKinlay described how Bravery clawed across her face, leaving blood trickling down her cheek and scratches on her eye and face, as reported by prosecutor Heslop at the earlier hearing.
McKinlay, a grandmother with a long career at Broadmoor, told the court,
“He attacked my face, he was clawing at my face. My eye and my face were all scratched. In all my years of being in Broadmoor I’ve never been attacked.”
Court video showed staff holding Bravery on the floor while one shouted, “Jesus Christ, do something,” as others rushed to help. He had tried to jump from the window, screaming, shouting, and kicking while nurses tried to calm him. Bravery is monitored by three staff members around the clock, and his room has only a mattress.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring stated that those who “care” for Bravery were the targets of his assaults. The judge added that it is “very unlikely” Bravery will be deemed safe for release at the end of his 15-year minimum term “unless something significant changes.” Bravery was also fined £350.
How did the Tate Modern balcony incident affect the boy’s life?
Jonty Bravery threw a six-year-old French boy from the 10th-floor balcony of London’s Tate Modern gallery, a fall of around 100 feet (30 metres), in August 2019.
The boy survived but suffered serious, life-changing injuries, including a brain bleed and multiple broken bones. He spent months in intensive care and went through a long recovery. Bravery, who was 18 at the time, was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 15 years at the Old Bailey. He is now held at Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility in Berkshire.
An October update from the boy’s parents declared their “little knight” can now run, jump, and swim to some degree, but has very limited memory skills, and they expected him to be immobilised for about two months after another operation earlier in the year.
How did Jonty Bravery assault staff again at Broadmoor?
Jonty Bravery attacked Broadmoor staff for the second time. In 2020, he was jailed for 14 weeks for punching, hair-pulling, and biting staff, linked to the Tate Modern case.
The 16-week sentence for attacking nurses runs alongside Bravery’s life term. He was convicted in absentia of two assaults in November 2025.
What makes the Tate Modern a landmark in London?
Tate Modern in London’s Southwark was formerly the Bankside Power Station, built between 1947 and 1963. The station closed in 1981 and remained largely unused until architects Herzog & de Meuron converted it into a gallery.
Tate Modern attracts approximately six million visitors yearly, cementing its status as one of the world’s most popular museums of modern art.
