Tate Modern: Boy 'thrown' from art gallery suffered brain bleed and spine, leg and arm fractures, court hears

Boy, 17, appears in court charged with attempted murder

A boy allegedly thrown from the Tate Modern suffered a bleed on the brain and fractures to his spine, arms and legs, a court has heard.

A teenager has appeared in court charged with attempting to murder the six-year-old, who is a French tourist and had been visiting the famous London art gallery with his family.

Bromley Youth Court heard that he was airlifted to hospital after being found on a fifth-floor roof on Sunday afternoon.

The child, who is in a stable but critical condition in hospital, had plummeted five storeys after allegedly being thrown from the 10th floor viewing platform.

The 17-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spoke to confirm his name, address, age and nationality during a short hearing on Tuesday.

He was remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday.

Police said there is no link between the suspect and the victim, and have appealed for witnesses to the “incredibly distressing” incident.

Tate Modern was the UK's most popular tourist attraction in 2018 after being visited 5.9 million times, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The 10th floor viewing platform remained closed on Tuesday, while the rest of the gallery was reopened on Monday.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 721 4868, tweet @MetCC or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Additional reporting by PA