Bus driver beaten to death over mask row in brutal 2020 attack
Two thugs have been jailed for beating a French bus driver to death after he told them to wear their face masks properly during the Covid pandemic.
Masked men launch savage attack
Wyssem Manai and Maxime Guyennon, both just 25, left 59-year-old Philippe Monguillot battered and broken beside his bus in Bayonne, south-west France. The victim, a father of three, had asked the pair and their group to show tickets and adjust their masks, which were slung under their chins.
The confrontation on July 5, 2020, came shortly after France’s first Covid lockdown, when mask rules were strict on public transport. What followed was a terrifying assault: punches, kicks, and Philippe’s head smashing hard onto the pavement. He was hospitalised but died five days later from his injuries.
Justice served but anger remains
Thursday’s court sentencing in Pau handed Manai 15 years and Guyennon 13 years for intentional violence causing death without intent to kill. The prosecutor had pushed for both to get 15 years behind bars.
“We demanded exemplary justice. We can’t say that we got it, although they are convicted. Let them rot in prison,” said widowed Veronique Monguillot.
“They killed my husband, they killed my daughters’ dad. My life has been over since July 5, 2020.”
Nationwide outrage and mourning
Philippe’s tragic death sparked waves of anger and grief across France. His widow led thousands on a march in Bayonne to protest the senseless violence. Though justice has been done, the pain lingers, and many believe the killers should have faced harsher sentences.
