French Bus driver left brain dead ‘by group who refused masks’ was married dad-of-three
Joe Roberts Wednesday 8 Jul 2020
A bus driver has been left brain dead after he was savagely beaten by five passengers who reportedly refused to wear face masks. Philippe Monguillot, 58, confronted the group as they boarded without tickets and masks in Bayonne, France, at around 7pm on Sunday, Le Parisien reported.
He was then dragged off the bus and kicked and beaten before the thugs ran away, according to the reports. Monguillot was left unconscious and taken to hospital, where he fell into a deep coma. The suspects are all in custody and facing murder charges, but have not yet been identified.
Masks are compulsory on all public transport in France, with this attack the latest to be linked to strict measures aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus.
His wife Veronique Monguillot, 52, said she is ‘living in a nightmare’ after her husband was declared brain dead following the vicious assault. She said the gang of five were known to her husband, having had an argument over unpaid fares earlier in the day. Mrs Monguillot said: ‘He can’t leave us like this, he was going to be 59 years old soon. No, you don’t do this over a bus ticket. You don’t kill for free like this.’
Bus drivers in Bayonne come together yesterday after the shocking attack on their colleague Philippe Monguillot (Picture: Getty/AFP)
Police in France said the suspects are are all in custody and facing murder charges (Picture: AP)
The Monguillots are the parents of three daughters aged 18, 21 and 24, and they are being supported by friends and colleagues who have set up a support group. ‘Philippe was going to retire in a year and we thought we were going to buy a motorhome in September,’ said Mrs Monguillot, who added that their lives ‘were destroyed in a couple of seconds. We were destroyed, yes.’
Describing the attack on Mr Monguillot, an investigating source said: ‘They got on the bus without masks, and also refused to show a ticket. ‘The first to get on had a dog with him – they just assumed they could all get on and do what they want, but the driver had to do his job.
‘When he stood up to them, a very unpleasant argument developed, and voices were raised and then the driver was attacked when everybody spilled out on to the bus platform.
French Junior Transports Minister Jean-Baptise Djebbari addresses the press after meeting bus drivers in Bayonne (Picture: AFP) ‘Philippe was punched and kicked repeatedly and then left with serious injuries, before the gang escaped.’
A colleague of Mr Monguillot described him as a ‘decent and hardworking man who always looked after passengers.’ He added: ‘There has been a lot of tension over masks, because they are the law, but bus staff are not police, and we should not have to enforce the law.’
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