A video of the incident, in which the cyclist appears to aim his knee at a young girl in his way on a narrow path, was widely shared over the weekend.
Viral video (BE): Young girl knocked to the ground by cyclist in Belgian High FensAfter a police appeal, the man handed himself in to the police on Sunday, where he spent the night in a cell, according to Belgian media.
The cyclist denies having intentionally hit the girl with his knee.
‘He explained that he didn’t realise that he had hit the girl. But he recognises that he did knock her over, and that it was accidental. He was trying to keep his balance,’ said Vanessa Clérin, a local prosecutor told our colleagues at RTL.be.
The cyclist will have to face a criminal court in February 2021. ‘After hearing statements from the girl’s father and analysing the video, the prosecution suggested this could be a case of assault and battery. The man risks a sentence of up to a year inprison,’ the prosecutor said.
