A homeless man who was hailed a ‘hero’ for helping victims of the Manchester terror attack has admitted stealing from them.
Chris Parker, 33, from Halifax , took a purse and iPhone from Pauline Healey as her granddaughter Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, lay dying yards away. He appeared at Manchester Crown Court today (Weds) facing eight charges of theft and fraud.
Rough sleeper Parker was initially hailed a ‘hero’ for helping the victims following the atrocity at Manchester Arena on May 22 last year, after it was claimed he tended to those injured by the blast.
But allegations later came to light that he had instead stolen the items from Mrs Healey, as well as a mobile phone from a teenage girl.
Parker pleaded guilty to stealing from Mrs Healey, as well as using her debit card in McDonalds between May 23 and 26 and the attempted theft of a bag, the Manchester Evening News reports.
He pleaded not guilty to the attempted theft of a coat of an unknown person. Parker also denied three counts of fraud, including the use of Mrs Healey’s bank cards in Tesco Deansgate, Transport for Greater Manchester and McDonalds in Manchester between May 24 and May 26.
Judge Hernandez agreed to let Parker’s not guilty pleas lie on file and told the defendant a custodial sentence is “likely.”
He will be sentenced on January 30.
