A French court Wednesday sentenced five Somali pirates to between four and eight years in prison for hijacking a yacht in 2008 and holding a French couple hostage.

The defendants pleaded with the court for leniency, saying they were desperately poor and noted that their hostages were not harmed. They also apologized to the French couple, who shook their hands and wished them luck.

Seven Somalis took over the French yacht in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 and demanded a $4 million ransom. French Navy commandos stormed the boat and rescued the hostages, killing one of the pirates. The seventh pirate was acquitted by the Paris court.