The woman who caused the recent Tour de France crash has admitted to feeling 'shame' over her 'idiocy' after being arrested, according to local prosecutors.
The spectator, an unnamed 30-year-old woman, had been holding up a cardboard sign reading 'Go Grandpa and Granny!' as the cyclists passed, her back to the riders as she appeared to look up to a TV camera.
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German competitor Tony Martin was the first to go tumbling down after colliding with the sign, creating a domino effect of others around him.
The woman is accused of involuntarily causing injury and putting the life of others and risk, and faces up to one or two years in jail, depending on the severity of injuries.
She was arrested and placed into custody on Wednesday (30 June) after presenting herself at a police station in Brittany.
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While the Tour de France organisers have withdrawn a lawsuit against her, French police continue to investigate the incident.
Speaking to a news conference yesterday (1 July), local prosecutor Camille Miansoni said that the probe was still ongoing as a second complaint remains.
Miansoni said: "The suspect has expressed her feelings of shame and fear about the consequences of her act.
"She said she is worried about the media attention for what she has called her 'stupidity'."
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MIansoni added that people injured in the crash could also file lawsuits at a later date.
Police also called for the woman not to be 'lynched' on social media.
Local chief Nicolas Duvinage said that an appeal for witnesses led to more than 4,000 messages, some of which 'were verging on incitement to violence'.
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He told the press conference: "We need to stay reasonable and calm on social networks.
"The suspect has some personal vulnerabilities and we need to avoid a lynching in the media or on social media."
Race director Christian Prudhomme also said the incident had been 'blown out of proportion'.
Speaking to Reuters on Thursday (1 July), he said: "We are withdrawing our complaint. This story has been blown out of proportion but we wish to remind everyone of the safety rules on the race.
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"If you come to the Tour, you hold your kid, you hold your pet and don't cross the road carelessly. And above all, you respect the riders - they're the ones worthy of live TV."
Featured Image Credit: Eurosport
Topics: World News, News, France