BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhuanet) -- A woman, fired by Tim Hortons, Canada, for giving away a free bite-sized doughnut worth 16 cents to an agitated toddler, was excused by the company, according to media reports Friday.

    Nicole Lilliman, 27, a single mom, worked in an outlet of the Tim Hortons coffee chain in London, Ontario. 

    She was captured by video cameras that she handed out a Timbit to a child for free.

    "It was just out of my heart, she was pointing and going 'ah, ah ...' I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy," said Lilliman.

    Tim Hortons, a Canadian icon with stores on virtually every high street across the country, said on Thursday that the firing was a mistake.

    "It was the unfortunate action of one manager who unfortunately made an overzealous decision, and thankfully we were able to rectify the situation," said company spokeswoman Rachel Douglas.

    Douglas said Tim Hortons had received a number of complaints. "Thankfully we're able to go back to them and say we were able to fix the situation," she said.

    (Agencies)