Australian businessman Nick Wilshire, 46, has been prosecuted in China after allegedly headbutting a police officer during a confrontation at a courthouse in Ganzhou. Wilshire says he acted accidentally after being handcuffed, pushed down and kicked, and claims the case is intended to silence him and stop his involvement in a friend’s father’s legal case.

Wilshire spent two weeks in detention and is now on bail in Guangdong, although he is barred from travelling to Beijing or Hong Kong. Prosecutors allege the officer suffered minor injuries and have upgraded the charge from obstructing official duties to assaulting a police officer, which could carry up to 14 months in prison; Wilshire also alleges he was mistreated in custody, while Australian officials say they cannot intervene in China’s judicial process.