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Jonty Bravery, 18, hurled the child over railings at London’s Tate Modern after stalking youngsters. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders after his victim plunged from the 10th floor and landed on a platform five floors below. The French boy, who was on holiday in London with his parents, suffered brain injuries, broken arms and legs and a fractured spine.

The court heard Bravery, who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder and a personality disorder, had planned an attack weeks in advance.

During a two-day sentencing hearing which began yesterday, prosecutor Deanna Heer said Bravery had scoped out the Shard – Britain’s tallest building – but was unable to afford a ticket.

Bravery, from Ealing, west London, admits attempted murder and appeared via video link from Broadmoor Hospital. He was under one-on-one supervision with social workers at the time of the attack on August 4 last year, but was allowed to go out unaccompanied for four-hour periods.

Ms Heer told the court: “He said he had to prove a point to ‘every idiot’ who had ever said he did not have a mental health problem.”

At one point in proceedings the defendant, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, crouched on the floor.

Ms Heer said Bravery approached the victim, who cannot be named, and scooped him up “without hesitation”.

After the incident, he backed away with his arms raised. He was “sniggering” after being surrounded by an angry crowd and told the boy’s father: “Yes, I am mad.”

Bravery asked police if he would be on television.

Giving evidence, Dr Joanna Dow, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at Broadmoor, said she believed the defendant had a mixed personality disorder.

He told a doctor he was planning to strangle a child, throw a child in the river, or throw someone off a tall building.

Dr Dow recommended that Bravery be detained in hospital, rather than receive a jail sentence.

The court heard the young victim suffered life-threatening injuries and spent a month in hospital here before moving to a French hospital. He remains in a wheelchair, and will require total care support for at least two years.

Ms Heer said: “Whether he will ever make a full recovery is not known.”

In a victim impact statement read at the hearing, the victim’s parents said: “Words cannot express the horror and fear his actions have brought upon us and our son.

“How can one explain to a child that someone deliberately tried to kill him? How can he ever trust mankind?” Sentencing was adjourned until today by the judge, Mrs Justice McGowan.

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