A former bodyguard for France's President Emmanuel Macron has been given a three-year jail sentence, of which two years are suspended, for assaulting May Day protesters in 2018.

Alexandre Benalla was initially charged after the newspaper Le Monde released a video showing him grabbing a young protester by the neck and striking another person at a protest.

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Benalla was wearing a police helmet at the time, although he was originally only given leave to observe the protest. 

The controversy, dubbed "Benallagate," quickly grew to become Macron's first major test during his presidency – and some accused him of trying to cover up the incident before the French newspaper released the video. 

Benalla will not actually spend time in prison, AFP reports, instead he will have to wear an electronic bracelet for a year. 

He was also convicted of illegally carrying a firearm and faking documents, in addition to the assault charge. And he was also fined 500 euros ($575). 

Benalla denied the charges and argued that he acted "by reflex" to help the police at the initial protest. 

Benalla had worked as a bodyguard for Macron since 2016, being promoted to a senior security role after the May 2017 presidential election, becoming a trusted aide, often pictured at Macron's side.

Investigators found that he continued to use diplomatic passports for trips to Africa and Israel, where he was trying to build up a consulting business and he was also found guilty of using faked documents to obtain one of the passports.