Disabled mugging victim Alan Barnes has said he would contribute just £10 towards paying off a debt owed by the woman who raised him hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mr Barnes, 68, who is 4ft 6in tall, inspired global sympathy after he was mugged outside his home in Gateshead, breaking his collarbone.

As a result beautician Katie Cutler set up an online fund-raising page, with money pouring in from around the world.

It eventually reached £330,000, allowing Mr Barnes to buy himself a new house.

The Herald:

Alan Barnes and Katie Cutler. Photo:PA

But Ms Cutler is now facing the prospect of bailiffs turning up at her house, after being handed a bill of almost £7,000 from a PR firm who offered to raise her profile after she shot to fame.

Claire Barber PR is demanding the money, which it says was for four months work, and has taken the case to a small claims court.

Despite her troubles, Mr Barnes said he would contribute just £10, when asked about Ms Cutler.

He told the Chronicle newspaper he thinks a fund should be set up for Ms Cutler, and he would be "quite happy to put just a small donation in".

He said: "It's easy for people to say 'he's got a lot of money, cough up' but you got to look in to all the alternatives.

"It might seem hard, but if I start handing it out, other people might ask for money. It was given to me on the understanding that I use it for myself."

Claire Barber, who has represented businessman Graham Wylie and The Alnwick Garden, said she had "no choice but to go to the small claims court" as she was unable to carry the debt.

After the mugging Mr Barnes said he would be moving to the Shetland Islands, after getting a "call from God", and put the house he had bought up for sale.

But he eventually decided against this and is looking for another home in Gateshead.