Stephen Kidd, a convicted murderer who has retracted his guilty plea, says he is trapped in a hotel room in Manchester city centre amid a stand-off with the council. The 54-year-old, who uses a wheelchair after suffering a stroke in prison, is refusing to leave Roomzzz Manchester City hotel on Princess Street, saying he has no suitable alternative accommodation.
Background and conviction
Mr Kidd was jailed in 2009 for his part in the killing of 60-year-old Darren Presley in Blackpool in January 2008. He and another man pleaded guilty to a brutal attack with knives and a frying pan at a flat. Mr Presley was doused in paint and left for dead after his head was repeatedly stamped on, a court was told.
Mr Kidd, convicted on a joint enterprise charge, has since gone back on his guilty plea, insisting he was not present when Mr Presley died. He claims the case has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), but the Manchester Evening News understands it has been deemed ineligible and closed.
Housing difficulties since release
Released from prison in January 2025 after serving 17 years, Mr Kidd said he was unable to secure social housing and spent £1,600 a month from his benefits on a windowless room at the Britannia Hotel on Portland Street. He told the Manchester Evening News last year he was a changed man who wanted to work and contribute to society.
After a fall in which he broke his leg, Mr Kidd left the Britannia for an intermediate care unit in Didsbury. In July, he was told his time there had ended. Manchester council wanted to move him to the Imperial Hotel on Hathersage Road, which he refused, saying it was not suitable for wheelchair users. He then moved to Roomzzz, where a room was adapted to his needs, including a wet room.
Council funding ends
Council funding for the Roomzzz stay has now ended. The council said Mr Kidd has 'shown that he is able to live independently without the need for care and is not eligible for support from adult social care at the current time'. It said Roomzzz was only a temporary measure and that Mr Kidd has 'refused the offer of supported housing, refused suitable alternative short-term hotel accommodation, and is currently refusing to leave Roomzzz'.
Mr Kidd was instructed to leave on September 21, but the council later said he could stay until October 27. He said he is running low on blood thinner and blood pressure medication and has barely any food after his room card was deactivated. He is due to return to hospital on October 7 for another operation on his leg.
Mr Kidd's response
Mr Kidd said: "It's like I'm back in prison. Yes, I can have a shower. Yes, it's an adapted room. But I'm down to noodles and tuna. I was eating better than that in prison."
He added: "I get it, this hotel currently isn't being paid. I'm in effect squatting, because if I leave this hotel or my room, I'm on the street. I'm in a wheelchair, for crying out loud. They want me to leave. It's not happening."
The council spokesperson said: "We do not think it is appropriate for the Council to use taxpayers' money for him to stay indefinitely in serviced city centre apartments which were only ever intended as a short-term measure." Roomzzz Aparthotels declined to comment on the individual case. A government spokesperson said the government is working to halve prison leaver homelessness by 2029, supported by a record £700m investment in probation and community services.
