Two men were sentenced to several years in prison for beating to death a French bus driver who demanded that they get out of the vehicle because they were not properly wearing masks during the covid pandemic.
Philippe Monguy was left by the side of the bus with serious injuries by Vissem Mane and Maxime Guyanon in the south-western French city of Bayonne in 2020.
Mane and Guyanon were sentenced to 15 and 13 years in prison on Thursday.
Two 25-year-old men were convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to kill.
Prosecutors said Monguj was attacked when he asked a group of people on the bus to show their tickets and put on face masks, which they held over their chins.
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The incident occurred on July 5, 2020, after the first lockdown in France when masks were mandatory on public transport.
In the conflict that followed, the driver was kicked and punched, and when he fell, he hit his head on the pavement.
Monguj, a 59-year-old father of three, died after five days in the hospital.
The state prosecutor requested 15 years in prison for both before the local court.
Veronika Monguj, the widow of the murdered man, was angry that they did not receive the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
"We were looking for justice, but we cannot say that we got it, even though they were convicted.
"Let them rot in jail," she said as she left the courtroom.
"They killed my husband, they killed the father of my daughters. My life is over as of July 5, 2020."
Monguy's death sparked violent reactions across France and thousands of people took part in a protest march led by his widow in Bayonne.
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