A notorious criminal paid for eight homeless people to spend two nights at a luxury hotel after he was released from prison.
Convicted drug dealer Sam Walker, 33, rounded up the rough sleepers from the streets of Liverpool and put them up in the swanky hotel.
Walker, who once claimed to have more than 100 criminal convictions, had just been released from prison following a stint for dangerous driving, the Liverpool Echo reported.
He also went to jail in 2008 for four-and-a-half years as part of a gang that peddled crack cocaine and heroin.
Walker said he wanted to treat the homeless people to a stay at the Shankly Hotel because they were in a situation “we could all find ourselves in at any point".
He said: “I put them up here because I can. I’m in a position where I have come out of prison and can still live a stable life. Many people don’t have that luxury.
“Every single one of us are really only one step away from being made homeless, it could happen to any of us.
"I just wanted to show these people, who may have lost faith, that there are still people out there thinking of them and that we aren’t just sweeping them under the carpet.”
After a few initial issues during check-in, Mr Walker paid for two executive rooms for the eight men and women.
One of the women Sam invited to stay, Nicola Twigg, said words couldn’t describe how much the gesture meant to her.
The 37-year-old said: “It has been like something out of a fairy tale story.
"We would never have expected something so extravagant off anyone and I still can’t believe I got to stay at the Shankly, it’s something you always dream of but when you’re on the street you don’t think that could ever happen.“
Stuart Thompson has been living on the street since he was released from prison in November.
The 44-year-old said: “On a normal night I would be on the street just long enough to gather money for a gas canister so I can light the fire in my tent.
“You’re always in fear of being robbed or not being able to shake the cold so to be able to have a hot shower and sleep in a warm bed is just amazing.
“What Sam has done for us is out of this world.“
Mr Walker also treated his eight new companions to a day of shopping to replace their wet clothes.
He said: “We all take these things for granted. Sleeping in a warm bed, wearing clean clothes everyday, but for some people that is just not the reality."
A spokesman for the Shankly Hotel said: “People from all walks of life are welcome at the Shankly Hotel however, in common all hotels and in line with strict legal guidelines, it is procedure to ask for the name and nationality of all guests.
“Furthermore, these details are essential for healthy and safety reasons, in particular fire regulations.”
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