Serious Case Review Reveals Missed Warnings Before Tate Modern Attack
A damning serious case review has exposed how warnings about Jonty Bravery’s violent tendencies were ignored before he attacked a six-year-old child in 2019. Bravery, who is autistic, had openly expressed a desire to hurt people. The report also revealed he had an undiagnosed personality disorder, which experts say explains his shocking behaviour.
Critical Failures by Professionals
The review blasts professionals for failing to distinguish between Bravery’s autism-related behaviours and his cold, calculated aggression. It calls for these “critical lessons” to be urgently “translated into action” to avoid future tragedies.
In the two years before the incident, Bravery displayed alarming conduct, including threats to kill strangers and disturbing acts like smearing faeces on his mother’s make-up brushes. Despite this, his violent outbursts eased while in care, leading to him being granted more freedom — including visiting central London alone on the day of the attack.
System Struggles with Specialist Care Shortages
The Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) report highlights a nationwide shortage of specialist residential care for young people with complex, high-risk behaviour like Bravery’s. A 2018 psychiatric report noted Bravery had begun using his autism as a “convenient excuse” to dodge responsibility for dangerous acts.
The review stresses that Bravery needed tailored residential therapeutic treatment for his conduct disorder — but such a facility simply did not exist.
Ongoing Reforms Promised
The LSCP says it is working to improve coordination between police, health services, and social care to better support autistic children and teens with complex challenges. But the case raises urgent questions about systemic failures and the support structures desperately needed to prevent future attacks.
