A cyclist who made headlines across Belgium after knocking over a five-year-old girl said he was not aware he had hit her.
The cyclist - who faces a year in prison for intentional assault and battery to a minor - presented himself to the police after a call for witnesses on Sunday.
“He was interrogated and subsequently received a summons to appear before the correctional court in February," said prosecutor Vanessa Clérin.
During the interrogation the cyclist maintained his claim that he had not kneed the girl on purpose and the he did not know that he had hit her, according to Clérin.
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The man had reportedly called the girl’s parents to explain his version of the facts and asked them to withdraw their complaint. "We extracted a semblance of an apology from him, but no remorse," said the girl's father.
A video posted to Facebook shows the cyclist, somewhere in the vicinity of the Baraque Michel, extending his knee as the 5-year-old girl blocks his path, knocking the child to the side allowing him to pass.
The father pressed charges after the girl went to the hospital as she suffered from back pain and painful wrists, according to Het Nieuwsblad, though she reportedly has no fractures or other serious injuries.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
