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A cyclist who was out for a ride in the snow in Belgium on Christmas Day has found himself in the middle of a media storm, and facing a court appearance, after hitting a young girl as he passed her.
The video above was recorded by the girl’s father and shows the cyclist coming up behind the family on a narrow path.
However, the cyclist either seems unwilling or unable to slow down and as he passes the family his knee appears to knock the girl over, much to the annoyance of her father who can be heard protesting on the clip.
After the footage was shared on social media and the girl’s
parents went to the police, the cyclist has found himself facing a court
appearance in February.
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Reports in Belgium suggest the cyclist contacted the girl’s family by phone but declined to apologise fully or give his name, asking instead that the family withdraw their police report.
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The family has said it would not do that and has also assured the public their daughter was not injured during her fall, adding they had taken her to hospital to be examined as a precaution.
After video of the incident was published on social media the Belgian police took stills from the footage and published them, appealing to the public to identify the cyclist, who continued on his way after the incident.
The man, aged 61 years, presented himself to the police and spent the night, from Sunday into Monday, being questioned.
The public prosecutor's office in Liège, where the incident occurred, has confirmed to the Belgian media the cyclist went to the police and said he did not knock the girl over deliberately.
"He explained that he did not know that he had hit the girl", prosecutor
Vanessa Clérin told ANP.
"After the testimony of the father and the analysis of the video, the
public prosecutor believes that it concerns assault and battery."
The cyclist is now facing a court appearance in February on charges that could result in a prison sentence if convicted.
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