Wednesday 28 September 2022 06:35 AM Furious dad claims Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel should be locked up, ... trends now
Pictured: John with his 13-year-old daughter
A furious dad claims famed Dutch cyclist should have been locked up for assaulting his 13-year-old daughter and her two young friends who were playing 'knock-and-run' at a Sydney hotel.
Mathieu van der Poel flew to the Netherlands on Tuesday after he was found guilty of two charges of common assault after unleashing on the girls at about 10.40pm on Saturday at the Novotel in Brighton Le Sands.
The 27-year-old said the children didn't stop the prank even after his girlfriend, Roxanne Bertels, asked them to - so, instead of alerting hotel staff, van der Poel decided to chase them into the opposite room.
Shocking photos obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia show the athlete - dressed only in black briefs - leaning over a schoolgirl who was crouching on the floor and covering her face in terror.
When another girl, age 13, tried to escape the room, van der Poel pushed her into a wall with both hands, causing her to fall to the ground.
The cyclist was slapped with a $1500 in Sydney's Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday, before flying back to the Netherlands.
The girl's father, John, told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday he was frustrated with the fine, and that the 27-year-old was able to leave the country.
'If I assaulted children, I'd be locked up in jail for a year because I can't afford bail,' he said.
'Child abuse is a big thing.'
John is pictured with his three children. One of his daughters, 13, was assaulted by the cyclist
The 43-year-old also said his daughter has been having nightmares about the assault.
'We went to the hospital on Sunday and I'm taking her to the phycologist because she's scared,' he said.
'She's worried she's in trouble and has done something wrong because some people are blaming her and me, saying it was the girls' fault and I'm a bad parent, but it was the school holidays - what kids at that age are going to bed at nine o'clock?'
He explained the kids shouldn't have been playing the game, but that it didn't justify van der Poel's 'unbelievable' behaviour.
Despite reports that the hotel phoned triple-0, John said it was his terrified daughter who alerted police.
Novotel refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Pictured: Mathieu van der Poel leaning over a young girl - wearing only black briefs
Upon landing at Brussels airport on Tuesday, van der Poel told local press he didn't handle the situation well, but insisted: 'I am not an aggressive person.'
'I grabbed one of the
