Two individuals have been sentenced to prison after brutally beating a French bus driver to death in 2020 when he asked them to leave the bus for not properly wearing face masks during the pandemic.

Wyssem Manai and Maxime Guyennon, both 25 years old, left Philippe Monguillot severely injured beside the bus in the city of Bayonne in south-west France. On Thursday, they were handed sentences of 15 years and 13 years, respectively. They were convicted of intentional violence resulting in death without the intent to kill.

The tragic incident unfolded after Mr. Monguillot, a 59-year-old father of three, asked a small group of men on his bus to present their tickets and adjust their face masks, which were incorrectly worn over their chins. This confrontation occurred in the evening of July 5, 2020, shortly after the end of France’s initial Covid lockdown, when mask-wearing was mandatory on all public transport.

During the confrontation, Mr. Monguillot was kicked, punched, and ultimately his head struck the pavement as he fell. Despite being hospitalised for five days, he succumbed to his injuries.

The attorney general had requested a 15-year prison term for both Manai and Guyennon. The sentencing took place at a court in Pau, also located in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region.

The victim’s widow, Veronique Monguillot, expressed her frustration that the two men did not receive the maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment. “We demanded exemplary justice. We can’t say that we got it, although they are convicted. Let them rot in prison,” she declared as she left the court. She continued, “They killed my husband, they killed my daughters’ dad. My life has been over since July 5, 2020.”

Philippe Monguillot’s tragic death sent shockwaves throughout France, prompting thousands of people to participate in a protest march led by his widow in Bayonne.