A man who was previously given a life sentence for throwing a six-year-old boy off a tenth-story balcony at the Tate Modern is now facing new charges for assaulting two nurses at the high-security psychiatric hospital where he is detained.
Jonty Bravery attacked the nurses at Broadmoor Hospital in September 2024, kicking one nurse in the thigh and scratching at the face of another, causing her to bleed. He was found guilty of these assaults on nurses Linda McKinlay and Kate Mastalerz at a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in November and is awaiting sentencing.
During the trial, it was revealed that Bravery requires constant supervision by three staff members round the clock and is confined to a room with just a mattress. Previously, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for throwing a French boy from the Tate Modern’s balcony in 2019, resulting in severe injuries including a brain bleed and multiple fractures for the young victim.
Tom Heslop, who witnessed the recent attack, described how Bravery attempted self-harm by climbing a ledge after using the bathroom. The nurses intervened to prevent him from harming himself, but he lashed out, kicking one nurse and scratching the other’s face, leading to a chaotic scene captured on body-worn camera footage.
One of the nurses, Ms. McKinlay, expressed that despite her long career, this was the first time she had been attacked at Broadmoor. She detailed the terrifying ordeal of trying to calm Bravery down while he was agitated and aggressive, resulting in injuries to her face.
Bravery has a history of violent behavior, having previously been jailed for assaulting staff at Broadmoor Hospital in 2020. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, upon finding him guilty of the recent assault charges, remarked that Bravery had crossed a line with his actions.
The repeated violent episodes involving Bravery underscore the challenges faced by staff in high-security psychiatric facilities like Broadmoor and raise concerns about the safety of both patients and healthcare workers in such environments.
