A French baker who made headlines after promising to leave his business to the homeless man who saved his life has reversed his decision.
Michel Flamant, who owns a bakery in Dole, France, has fired Jerome Aucant, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Flamant and Aucant met in 2015, when Aucant was panhandling outside the business. Flamant offered him coffee and croissants and the two started talking regularly.
In December 2015, Flamant passed out after one of his ovens started leaking carbon monoxide. Aucant happened to be stopping by and pulled Flamant to safety. Firemen told Flamant he would have died within 15 minutes had Aucant not saved him.
The baker subsequently hired Aucant as a part-time worker, and in April, he pledged to sell the bakery to him for just one euro -- about $1.13. The plan was for him to continue training his rescuer until September, when the business would be totally in Aucant’s hands.
“Jerome is a hard worker and he wants to succeed,” Flamant said at the time, according to The Local. “He deserves a chance.”
But the baker has apparently had a change of heart.
“Last week, I returned to the bakery at 10.30, 11 at night as usual and discovered that Jerome had set up a bar of sorts with wine and beer, and all his homeless friends in the oven room,” Flamant told French radio channel France Bleu, according to Reuters. “I told him this was not part of the deal. Tempers rose and he started insulting me, so I told him to pack his bags and go.”