Gerard Butler a surprise guest at Merchant Hotel during event hosted by NI fraudster-turned-businessman

Hollywood actor Gerard Butler has been spotted in Belfast this week, with many eagle-eyed fans snapping selfies of the Scotsman at the Merchant Hotel on Thursday night.

Gerard Butler with Tom Smyth. Credit: @tomsmythentrepreneur Instagram

Attendees at a ‘growth summit’ entrepreneurial event in the five-star venue were given an extra treat after the 300 star also appeared in the ground floor area.

The conference was being hosted by fraudster-turned-businessman, Tom Smyth, who runs a serviced apartments firm with flats in Belfast.

Smyth took to social media to share a picture of himself with Butler, who can be seen in the photograph holding some of Smyth’s event leaflets.

The Co Antrim man, who had 19 houses confiscated by organised crime cops, captioned his post: “I was absolutely delighted last night when Mr Gerard Butler The Holywood superstar attend [sic] our Dream Mentoring Growth summit. What a lovely guy.”

It’s not yet clear why Butler is visiting Northern Ireland, but the 54-year-old has recently been confirmed as part of the cast for the upcoming live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon – an animated Dreamworks classic.

Meanwhile, Smyth’s ‘growth summit’ was also attended by retired Belfast boxer, Ryan Burnett, and coach-turned-fitness influencer Aisling Gough, who both gave keynote speeches.

Smyth is the managing director of Dream Apartments, which has locations across the UK, including Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) was granted a recovery order against the NI native in 2012 for 19 fraudulently obtained properties.