The cyclist who went viral after he was filmed kneeing a little girl and knocking her to the ground as he rode past her and her family has won his court case against her father for posting the footage online.

A court will determine in April next year how much compensation he is entitled to.

The incident took place in the High Fens area of Liege Province in eastern Belgium at the end of 2020 on Christmas Day.

The footage was shot by the child’s dad who was recording his family walking through the winter landscape with snow on the ground and on the branches of nearby trees.

His little daughter was wrapped up warmly in red winter clothing with a scarf and pink gloves and was standing alongside her mother as they came down the forest trail when the cyclist approached from behind.

Instead of waiting for the infant to move out of the way by her mother and father, he goes down the side and just as he comes alongside the girl, he seemingly deliberately puts his leg out, striking her in the back and sending her flying onto the snow-covered ground.

The furious dad, named Patrick Mpasa, who was with his wife and two children and who had been recording the scene, then decided to share the images on social media, asking if people agreed that he was right to complain to the police.

He said he had chased after the man and managed to make him stop but that he had been unrepentant.

The family believe 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.

He said: “A lot of people tell me that I should have hit him, but I don’t agree and in any case, I was in front of my children which would have made things even worse for them. I also don’t want a witch hunt, I just want him to apologise.”

The local cyclist Association GRACQ, which saw the video, at the time described the man’s behaviour as “unacceptable”.

They said he had an obligation to prioritise weaker road users, which in this case was the people walking. He said this also applied to nature reserves.

They said they understood that cyclists do not want to have to stop, but that did not justify knocking the child over.