Teenager accused of throwing child off Tate Modern balcony to face trial
Written by News on 08/08/2019
A teenager accused of throwing a six-year-old from a balcony at Tate Modern will go on trial next year for attempted murder.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded to youth detention after appearing at the Old Bailey.
His trial has been set for 3 February next year.
The court heard the victim, who is a French national, was at the gallery with his parents and was on the viewing platform at the London art gallery when he was allegedly picked up and hurled over the edge.
The action was “carried out extremely swiftly and in one movement”.
The boy’s mother was heard screaming “my son, oh my son” during the incident.
Psychiatric reports have been ordered for the teenager, who spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address and British nationality at the hearing.
He was wearing a blue T-shirt and was escorted by two security guards.
The child suffered a bleed on the brain and fractures to his spine, legs and arms in the incident.
He was airlifted to hospital after being found on a fifth-floor roof at the tourist attraction on Sunday afternoon.
There was no update given on his condition during the hearing.
A reporting restriction has been imposed on media reports of the case, preventing both the identity of the victim and the defendant from being made public.
Police say there is no link between the child and the 17-year-old and they are treating it as an isolated incident.
The suspect is expected to enter a plea in November.
The Tate Modern was the most popular attraction in the UK in 2018, pulling in almost six million visitors, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.
(c) Sky News 2019: Teenager accused of throwing child off Tate Modern balcony to face trial
