Who is Chris Parker? Manchester bombing ‘homeless hero’ jailed for stealing from victims of terror attack
A HOMELESS man who stole from victims of the Manchester terror attack then claimed he had heroically helped the injured was jailed.
Chris Parker told journalists he had bravely helped those wounded in the attack and more than £50,000 was raised by the public to help find him a home. But it later emerged he had stolen from victims he claimed he helped.
Who is Chris Parker?
Chris Parker, 33, is a homeless man who lives in Manchester. He grew up in Norwich.
Parker went to Manchester Arena on May 22 evening with his friend, around the same time of Ariana Grande's concert, in a bid to beg for money in the foyer.
But after Salman Abedi launched his suicide bomb, Parker told reporters he cradled a dying woman in his arms and wrapped a bloodied child in merchandise T-shirts.
Parker's tragic and selfless narrative captured the nation's hearts, and he was hailed a "homeless hero".
Well-wishers raised more than £52,000 for Chris Parker to help get him off the streets.
The publicity surrounding his brave actions even spurred his estranged mum to get in touch.
How were Chris Parker's wicked crimes revealed?
Following the publicity, Parker was accused of stealing a purse belonging to Pauline Healey, the grandmother of 14-year-old Sorrell Leczkowski who was killed in the attack.
He was also accused of stealing a mobile from a teenage girl, who can’t be named for legal reasons.
Parker initially denied the two charges and was remanded in custody at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court.
He said at the hearing in August: "I have done nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Horrific CCTV footage showed Chris Parker wandering between stricken and dying victims left bleeding on the floor.
Parker repeatedly returned to Healey, whose granddaughter lay dying nearby, before leaning over her body and taking her handbag to steal her purse.
What charges did Chris Parker admit and what is his punishment?
Parker was jailed after pleading guilty to two counts of theft and one count of fraud.
He admitted stealing a purse belonging to Pauline Healey, who was seriously injured in the bomb, and then using her bank card at a McDonald’s in Manchester.
Parker also admitted stealing a mobile phone belonging to a teenage girl caught up in the attack.
A judge branded Parker a "common thief" as he sentenced him to four years and three months behind bars.
Judge David Hernandez blasted: "You represented yourself as a hero.
"Sadly you were not the hero you pretended to be. You were just a common thief.”
He will not receive the money raised for him through the public appeal on GoFundMe.
It will instead go back to the donors.
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At Manchester Crown Court, it also emerged he took snaps of dead bodies after he stole the iPhone 6 from the injured teen.
Parker had been on the run from December 5 when he left his bail hostel, breaching his bail conditions five times that month.
He was due to appear in court on Tuesday, January 2, but failed to turn up. Police later found him hiding in the loft of a house in Halifax in West Yorkshire, where he was arrested.