A man has told a court he pushed a 12-year-old girl after seeing a knife under her T-shirt, believing she was about to attack his sister. Ilia Belov, 22, is charged with assaulting the girl during an incident in the Lochee area of Dundee in August 2025.
Court Testimony
Giving evidence at Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday, Belov stated he was with his father heading to buy cigarettes when they passed a group of young girls walking in the opposite direction. Speaking through a Bulgarian interpreter, the father of two said one of the girls made disrespectful remarks.
“They are coming and start making some cheeky remarks,” he testified. “They told me ‘son of a bastard’ and also ‘f****** migrant’.”
After they passed each other, the girls continued shouting remarks, prompting Belov to turn back and follow them, leaving his father to continue to the shop. “I went back to ask why they are disrespecting me,” he told the court. “They have started to panic, saying I am following them.”
When asked why he did not walk away, he replied: “Because I am human. I deserve to ask them why I deserve so much disrespect. I didn’t do anything to them.”
The Altercation
Belov said more girls then arrived, causing him to call his sister because he was worried. When she arrived, a physical altercation broke out between his sister and one of the girls. During this, he claimed he saw another girl with a knife tucked under her T-shirt and pushed her over to protect his sister.
“I pushed the other girl who was wearing the weapons because I saw the knife on her back,” he said, explaining he could see the handle under her T-shirt and thought she was going to “do something” with it. He added: “I pushed her away before anything happened.”
Belov told the court that after the girl got up, she brandished the knife and an axe she had concealed. “She held the knife and axe and tried to get to us,” he said.
Cross-Examination
Prosecutor Michael Robertson cross-examined Belov, suggesting that as an adult he could have walked away or called the police. Belov accepted this but was unsure whether staying was wrong. He denied making sexual remarks to any of the girls, insisting he only wanted to ask about the disrespect.
Robertson disputed whether Belov saw the knife before pushing the girl, suggesting he only saw it after she stood up. The prosecutor reviewed CCTV footage showing the girl behind Belov before the push. Belov denied this, stating the girl was “acting aggressively” and he could “easily see what’s on her back.”
Victim’s Testimony
Earlier in the trial, the girl testified that she had the axe and knife in her waistband for five to ten minutes before the incident and brandished them after the physical altercation. She said she then “basically sat holding them,” knowing the man would “try to go for (the other girl) again.” She also alleged Belov repeatedly said, “Come here sexy. I will show you how to have a good time,” making her feel “angry.”
Belov denies all charges. The trial continues.
