Last year, there was one face that summed up the growing hatred and homophobia in France as the country debated gay marriage.

That face was Wilfred de Bruijn.

On 6 April, he and his boyfriend Olivier were beaten up in Paris. The next day he posted a picture of his broken face and it went viral.

And after waiting for over a year, their attackers have finally come to justice.

Three men were found guilty and handed their sentences in a Parisian court today (3 June).

K. Taieb and M. Abdel Malik, both 19, were jailed for two and a half years. They also face up to 15 months probation following release.

T. Kide, 21, who was found to have not participated in the violence but did nothing to stop it was handed a sentence of six months probation.

Another of the attackers, who is under the age of 18, is protected under anonymity and will be sentenced at a later date in a juvenile court.

De Bruijn, originally from the Netherlands, said he was ‘satisfied’ with the verdict.

‘We feel very thankful. For 14 months, we have had so much support from family and friends, but also from the rest of society,’ he told the AFP.

‘[Now France has same-sex marriage], it proves the majority of French people are decent people.’