Alan Barnes has said he WILL pay a PR bill racked up by his “saviour” Katie Cutler after a legal wrangle saw her facing bailiffs.
Katie Cutler raised £330,000 for the 68-year-old after he was attacked near his home in Gateshead last year which left him scared of returning as he felt unsafe.
The fundraising initiative cost Cutler £6,687 to promote, but she was unable to pay the bill because she gave all of the money raised to Barnes and other good causes.
Earlier this week it was revealed that kind-hearted strangers had pledged money to pay off the bill - but Barnes himself has now stepped in.
According to the Newcastle Chronicle, he said: “I just want to solve the problem.
“Katie did so much for me and I want to help her as it has got out of hand.”
He said that he would give the money directly to the PR firm because he was unsure if Cutler would accept it.
Barnes had faced accusations of being “tight” over his previous refusal to pay off the bill himself.
He said he would offer “a small amount... £10 or something” to help towards the PR bill incurred by Cutler whilst promoting his cause.
According to the Daily Mail, more than £6,000 was raised to go towards her bill by strangers. One crowdfunding page alone, set up by Ryan Walker, raised more than £3,000.
Although this still left her several hundred pounds short Claire Barber, who runs Claire Barber PR, agreed that she would accept the figure to cover her debt.
The Mail quoted Barber as saying: “I am a very hard-working single mum running a business and I wish I could afford to write it off but I can’t.
“After a year-and-a-half of waiting, of course I would be more than happy to accept that figure, although I would point out that this has already gone to court and judgement has been made.”
It is unclear what will happen to this money now.