A DAD who posted a video of a cyclist kneeing his five-year-old daughter has won a gruelling legal battle – after the rider took him to court over the clip.

Patrick Mpasa filmed young Neia being struck by Jacques D during a family walk through a park in Belgium – before the biker was handed a suspended sentence.NINTCHDBPICT000843383686
Footage showed the viral moment a cyclist struck a young girlCredit: Newsflash
 

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The footage was shared on social mediaCredit: Newsflash
Following the sentencing, Jacques then sued Mpasa for defamation.

The cyclist claimed the backlash he had received due to the viral footage made him feel so threatened he was scared to leave home.

In April 2023, the young girl’s dad was ordered to pay Jacques £3,900 in compensation.

Following a lengthy appeal, a Liege court ruled out the original decision in favour of Jacques.

The biker’s lawyer told the Daily Mail: “In essence, the court said that posting the video was a freedom of expression and it was not a crime, so the original ruling was overturned.

“The court said that by uploading the clip, the father had contributed to the public debate on cyclists and pedestrians, and it was not an issue.”

They added: “The cyclist had argued that by uploading the video, he had been identified, and the initial reports said he was between forty and fifty years old when he was in fact well over sixty years old.

“Uploading the video did not identify him or his address, he says he was insulted as a result, but has not been able to provide any evidence of this.”

The bike enthusiast, who is also president of a local cycling club, was ordered to pay £1,700 in court costs

His lawyer declined to comment.

In the shocking video, the cyclist is seen sticking his knee out and knocking the girl over onto a snowy path in Baraque Michel, Belgium, on Christmas Day 2020.

The youngster, dressed in an all-in-one pink outfit, is seen walking carefully along the icy track beside her mum when a cyclist comes up behind them.

Instead of waiting for the girl to move out of the way, he goes down the side, and just as he comes alongside her he seemingly deliberately puts his leg out.

His knee then strikes her in the back – sending her flying onto the snow-covered ground.

Mpasa said he had chased after the man, who has not been named publicly, and managed to make him stop but the rider was remorseless.

Furious Mpasa then posted the footage on social media and asked viewers if they agreed he was right to make a complaint to the cops.

The cyclist was later ordered to pay just €1 in compensation and handed a suspended sentence on the grounds he had already been criticised enough on social media.

But the family believed that if it had been an accident, the man would have stopped to check that the child was okay instead of just speeding off, which was why the dad posted it online.

He said that he was not seeking revenge but wanted to share the images on social media to “raise awareness” about dangerous situations.

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The cyclist originally sued the dad for defamationCredit: Newsflash