Cyclist Who Knocked Over Girl With Knee Claims He Was Just Balancing Himself

The cyclist who knocked down a little girl blocking his way on an icy path over Christmas has claimed that he only stuck out his knee to balance himself:

The unnamed man, who is in his 60s, appeared before a court in Belgium on 3 February and tried to explain what happened.

He said: "When I was riding close to the girl, I felt my rear wheel sliding. To avoid a fall, I balanced myself with a movement of my knee. I felt that I might have hit the girl, but did not immediately realise she had been knocked over."

But the prosecutor dealing with the case said that the statement seemed very unlikely, telling the court: "He was annoyed by the people on the path who had to swerve around all the time.

"He gave the child a 'knee punch' out of sheer annoyance because an obstacle was in his way for the umpteenth time."

The prosecutor went on: "He is being prosecuted for deliberately inflicting blows and injuries on a minor and for his attitude. If he had admitted the facts, we could have considered alternative measures."

The footage was filmed by the girl's dad, Patrick Mpasa, during their family walk at a nature reserve in Belgium's Walloon Region on Christmas Day.

In the video, the five-year-old girl is seen walking by her mother's side on the snow-covered path as the cyclist approaches them from behind.

Just as he rides alongside the girl before knocking her on the ground before continuing on his way unbothered.

The family believed this was not an accident as the man did not stop to check if the girl was okay or apologise.

Patrick Mpasa shared the video online where it went viral and the public prosecutor's office was made aware of the incident and the police tracked down the suspected cyclist.

If convicted, it is believed that the cyclist could face a prison sentence.

The girl's parents reportedly asked the court for a symbolic compensation of EUR 1 on behalf of their daughter as the injured party.

The defence team has asked that the case be acquitted and criticised the prosecution, claiming that the justice system is being disproportionately hard on their client.

A ruling is expected on 3 March.

Featured Image Credit: Newsflash

Topics: Viral, News

Rebecca Shepherd

I'm Becky - a journalist at LADbible. I graduated with a First Class BA in Journalism before going on to cover criminal court cases, medical tribunals and breaking news for the national media - which inevitably and eventually became as glum as it sounds. Can often be found rocking a bag for life - which I made a 'thing' way before Rihanna. You can contact me at [email protected]

@RJShepherd94