The identity of the cyclist filmed knocking over a five-year-old girl on a snowy path has been revealed as Jacques Davenne, the president of a local cycling club.<\/p>\n
The incident took place on Christmas Day in 2020 in the Baraque Michel nature reserve in the province of Li\u00e8ge, and sparked widespread debate after the footage was shared on Facebook.<\/p>\n
Davenne has now spoken publicly about the incident, telling the Daily Mail<\/a> that \u201cI did what any good cyclist does and rang my bell several times, but they obviously didn\u2019t hear me, so I cycled past, but as I did so I slipped and lost my balance slightly.<\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s when I knocked the little girl, I had put my leg out to balance myself, I didn\u2019t realise I had hit her, and she had fallen over as I had cycled past. Then the father chased after me and berated me.<\/p>\n \u201cI said it was an accident and then carried on. It was only later, when I saw the video on social media, that I realised he had filmed me.<\/p>\n The video shows the cyclist approaching the girl, Ne\u00efa, from behind, then his left knee appears to make contact with her as he rides past on a snow-covered path, causing her to fall.<\/p>\n > Father of child knocked over by cyclist wins legal appeal \u2013 as court rules viral video \u201ccontributed to public debate on cyclists and pedestrians\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Following a public appeal, the cyclist handed himself into police and spent a night in custody. He was subsequently charged with intentional assault and battery against a minor, which could carry the possibility of a one-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n In March 2021, a court in Verviers ordered the cyclist to pay symbolic damages of \u20ac1 to the child\u2019s family<\/a>. He also received a suspended sentence, as the judge concluded that he had been cycling too fast and had not left enough space to pass safely.<\/p>\n Following the conviction, Davenne launched a defamation case against the girl\u2019s father<\/a>, Patrick Mpasa, arguing that the video\u2019s publication online had damaged his reputation and left the cyclist feeling unsafe when going outside.<\/p>\n Mr Mpasa maintained that he had shared the footage not to seek revenge but to raise awareness, saying he did not \u201cwant a witch hunt, just him to apologise\u201d.<\/p>\n