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Original poster

Child thrown from 10th floor at Tate Modern

241 replies

ineedaholidaynow · 04/08/2019 20:40

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-47214207

Who would do something like this? Scary.

OP posts:
OrchidInTheSun · 04/08/2019 23:53

I do not want netting out round every single balcony on the very rare off chance that someone picks up a child and hurls them over the railing.

This is a bizarre and awful occurrence. Let's not make rules based around it.

Soola · 04/08/2019 23:54

@OrchidInTheSun I agree.

HennyPennyHorror · 04/08/2019 23:57

I keep waiting for an update to say he's doing ok...to say he's alive...anything!

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 05/08/2019 00:02

I'm in tears. His poor mum, poor him, although He probably won't remember, hopefully. Not that that's any consolation to his mum and other family members.
My nephew is the same age. The thought of anyone wanting to hurt him sets my stomach in knots.

Praying he makes a full recovery
What a terrifying world we live in.

BizzzzyBee · 05/08/2019 00:04

I went to Newcastle on a city break and the Baltic art gallery has a 4th floor viewing platform with a waist high railing much lower than the one at the Tate. But nobody is complaining about that or saying the architects should have done a better job, because there’s never been an instance of a nutter throwing a kid off it. We can’t net or close every public balcony and bridge in the country on the off chance that this sort of crime might happen.

SavageBeauty73 · 05/08/2019 00:04

I can't stop thinking about the poor boy and his mother. So horrific.

ThomasFurious · 05/08/2019 00:06

There is so much awful news at the moment. The two shootings today, the prostitute who killed her children, and the poor girl who jumped out of a plane, then this.Sad

Butterymuffin · 05/08/2019 00:07

Don't think there will be an update for a while. Tbh it's as much as can be hoped for that he wasn't dead on arrival at hospital. Thinking and praying for him that in that case he can eventually recover. Flowers

Pillowcased · 05/08/2019 00:07

Agreed, @OrchidInTheSun. There are countless places in Tate Modern where someone could, in practice, throw someone from a height — from the viewing gallery overlooking the Turbine Hall, from the front balcony overlooking the Millennium Bridge at St Paul’s, over the bannister of the staircase in the Blavatnik wing. But you could equally throw them off one of the bridges with equally lethal effect. You can’t net over everywhere.

My blood has repeatedly run cold since I heard this, especially as I was there with my seven year old only a couple of days ago for the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, but you can’t childproof the world against this kind of random attack.

ThomasFurious · 05/08/2019 00:08

And also, I was reading earlier a 15 year old girl had disappeared on holiday in Malaysia.

HennyPennyHorror · 05/08/2019 00:08

Thomas Oh that got to me! :(

SayItLoud1 · 05/08/2019 00:11

My chest hurts reading about this.
Utterly horrifying. Poor little boy and his poor Mother (and Father/family) my heart breaks for them.
I pray for his recovery.

StinkyWizleteets · 05/08/2019 00:19

A mother’s worst fear. My heart breaks for that family. I hope the young boy recovers

AquaPris · 05/08/2019 00:27

@GettickledGETTICKLEDbyspiders I don't think it would have been a dare or for snapchat? Clearly it is quite a sick-minded and disenfranchised teenager who could try and kill a 6 year old... and to stand calmly afterwards.

I think he is mentally unwell or has been abused and wanted to feel powerful.

Teddybear45 · 05/08/2019 00:30

There is a lot of open alcohol drug use around the area. Dick heads smoking weed and drinking openly, attacking people randomly. I am not surprised someone has tried this - but I always thought it’d happen more towards the bankside rather than at the tate. That poor mum.

Isatis · 05/08/2019 00:35

I bet its a sibling or relative, its very strange for a random to do that.

Sounds unlikely - and highly offensive to his relatives - if he was following another family around earlier.

HennyPennyHorror · 05/08/2019 00:39

It's not a sibling...whoever said that...it was stranger. Another woman said he'd been acting oddly around her and her children too...sort of shadowing them.Strangers DO do this kind of thing unfortunately...sometimes.

aintnothinbutagstring · 05/08/2019 01:06

The viewing area is not unsafe at all, under normal use obviously. My 8 year old could not see over the top of the railings and my 10yr old only just. We went the day before, it was awfully busy, as in we had to squeeze between people, and just hard to believe someone could do such a thing and no one intervene. Praying the boy recovers.

HennyPennyHorror · 05/08/2019 01:40

I don't think anyone had time to intervene....it happened fast.

Lolyora17 · 05/08/2019 02:55

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Thewheelsarefallingoff · 05/08/2019 06:00

I cannot stop thinking about this. Latest report says he's stable, but critical. I couldn't get To sleep last night and woke up with my heart racing. So much awful stuff in the world, but I can't begin to think how I can protect my DCs from this. Poor boy and poor family.

HennyPennyHorror · 05/08/2019 06:08

Wheel where did you see that report please?

Thewheelsarefallingoff · 05/08/2019 06:10

BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49230308

HennyPennyHorror · 05/08/2019 06:18

Thanks Wheel I hope he pulls through. :(

fascinated · 05/08/2019 07:31

What kind of trauma will that poor child have thought go, even if he survives? Utterly horrendous.