Jérôme Kerviel the person was as unexceptional as Jérôme Kerviel the trader was exceptional. “He was like an average Frenchman living a normal life,” says the deputy mayor of his hometown, Jean-Pierre Le Gall.

Mr Le Gall knows him from the last municipal elections in 2001, when Mr Kerviel ran on his right-wing list. Mr Kerviel was last on the list so could never be elected, but he was chosen for his financial literacy and youth. “He was nice, a good person. There were never any problems with him or his family,” Mr Le Gall says.