A former teacher who gained notoriety for fleeing to France with a 15-year-old girl in 2012 has lost his job at a bakery in Kent after his past was discovered by “shocked” employers. Jeremy Forrest, who sparked an international manhunt and was subsequently jailed for child abduction and sexual offences, had reinvented himself as an artisan baker in Canterbury.

Jeremy Forrest, now known by the surname Buonocore, secured a job at Gilda Bakery in Bishopsbourne last year. However, his hidden history came to light this week after national newspapers revealed he was working under an assumed name.

Jon Warren, the founder and director of Gilda Bakery, took immediate action upon learning of Forrest’s past. He terminated Forrest’s contract and released a statement addressing the situation.

“We are aware of the news recently published in the press regarding one of our staff members,” Warren stated in the now-deleted statement. “Since learning of the sensitive nature of this employee’s history, it was mutually agreed that it was in the best interest of Gilda that his employment was terminated with immediate effect. We are a close-knit team, and this has come as a shock to the whole Gilda family.

Notably, a biography of Forrest on the bakery’s website, which has since been removed, made no reference to his teaching career or the criminal charges against him. Instead, it portrayed him as a dedicated baker with a family bakery background.

The biography stated that Forrest “spent most of his working life at his family bakery” and emphasized his status as a 5th generation baker. It also praised his passion for sourdough and his dedication to the art of breadmaking.

Forrest joined the Gilda Bakery team in May 2022 and was promoted to Head Baker, according to the biography. It highlighted his love for music, mentioning that he played guitar and provided lead vocals in a band that frequently performed gigs.

Jeremy Forrest made headlines in 2012 when he abducted a 15-year-old student, leading to an international search that extended across the English Channel. The search was brought to an end after CCTV footage showed the pair on a ferry from Dover to Calais. Forrest was eventually recognized by a barman in Bordeaux, France, when he applied for a job.

In the subsequent legal proceedings, Forrest was convicted of child abduction and five counts of sexual activity with a child. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison at Lewes Crown Court in the UK. Following his release, he was required to register as a sex offender for life.

Gilda Bakery has not provided additional comments on the matter.