French court releases Xavier Fortin

After spending two months in police custody, Xavier Fortin is a free man.

On Tuesday he appeared in court and was handed down a two year sentence, of which 22 months were suspended.

In 1998 Xavier Fortin "disappeared" with his two sons (aged six and seven at the time) rather than return them to their mother.

At the end of January, Fortin was taken into police custody and charged with having removed minors from their mother (who had custody) after he and his two sons were "discovered" in the village of Masset in the département of l'Ariège in the southwest of France.

During the hearing, Fortin told the told the court that he had "chosen a life on the run" because he had thought it was in the best interests of his sons at the time.

He was convinced that had he returned them to their mother they would have been subjected to "complete brainwashing".

A week after their father was arrested the boys , Théo and Manu (they changed their names during their years "on the run" from Okwari and Shahi Yena) now 17 and 18 respectively, began a series of media interviews in which they repeatedly declared their support for their father, and expressed the desire for him to be released as soon as possible.

Both were in court to attend the hearing.

The prosecution had been seeking a minimum of six months behind bars for the 52-year-old, but Fortin's lawyer said before the verdict was announced that she hoped the court would a little more understanding.

"The father is a victim, the mother is a victim and the two children are victims," said Pascaline Saint-Arroman.

"And that needs to be taken into account when the court takes its decision."

The boys' mother, Catherine Martin wasn't present yesterday and according to her lawyer, Renaud Arlabosse, wasn't looking for revenge or disputing her former husband's abilities as a father.

"The only thing she has asked for is compensation to the amount €1 - a symbol," he said.

"What Catherine hopes is finally to have the time to be able to rebuild a relationship with her two sons. She has to rediscover how to become a mother because she has had that right taken away from her for nearly 12 years now."

On Tuesday evening Fortin was released.

"There is no winner and no loser in all of this," is how Shahi Yena responded after the verdict was announced.

"For me it's a huge step for French justice in terms of actually listening to what the children had to say."