A former prisoner of the Pentridge Prison, Melbourne, Australia, decided to buy his own jail cell, where he had spent several years for fraud and robbery.

Mr. Alford is not going to live in the cell again. He needs it as a place to arrange a wine storage facility, after the commercial redevelopment of the prison.

Before it was closed, the Pentridge was the most notorious prison in the country, keeping the most dangerous criminals inside its walls.

Mr. Alford, an ex-barrister, went to jail after gambling and alcohol addiction made him plunge heavily into debts. As a result, he began stealing from trust funds. A bit later he failed in his attempt to rob a bank with the sawn-off shotgun.

Although having such past, Mr. Alford radically changed his life after leaving the prison. He gave up gambling and drinking, and became an author of a best-seller “Never Give UP” written about his past experiences.

According to Mr. Alford, purchasing his former cell a rare opportunity, as not many people in the world have ever owned their own cells. So as soon as he heard about the Pentridge being sold, Alford seized his chance to become one of the official owners.

The cell will be converted to hold rare wines cost about $46 million, however this doesn’t interest the owner any more: “the irony is that I don’t drink now… this is purely an investment”-Alford said.

Mr. Alford, who kept the secret of how much he paid for the cell, took the keys of his cell at an official ceremony last Wednesday.