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A HOMELESS MAN hailed as a hero for apparently coming to the aid of victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack was jailed for more than four years today, after admitting to robbing them.
Chris Parker, 33, had claimed to have helped some of those injured in last year’s attack.
However, CCTV footage shown at Manchester Crown Court captured him rifling through the purse of victim Pauline Healey, whose 14-year-old granddaughter was dying nearby. He later used her bank card at a local McDonald’s, the court heard.
When sentencing him to four years and three months in prison, Judge David Hernandez told Parker: “You were not the hero you pretended to be, you were just a common thief.
“It is hard to contemplate a more reprehensible set of circumstances.”
Online appeal
An online appeal launched in the immediate aftermath of the bombing at the concert by US singer Ariana Grande raised more than £50,000 (about €56,800) for the rough sleeper. The money will be returned to the donors.
Parker was interviewed by British media in the aftermath of the attack carried out by Salman Abedi, saying he had been begging outside the concert arena when the bomb went off.
A tearful Parker told the Press Association news agency at the time: “I heard a bang and within a split second I saw a white flash, then smoke and then I heard screaming.”
“It knocked me to the floor and then I got up and instead of running away my gut instinct was to run back and try and help,” he said.
Parker also stole a mobile phone from a teenage girl in the wake of the attack, which killed 23 people (including the bomber) on 22 May last year.
Parker has a string of previous convictions, including shoplifting and burglary.
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I never understood why he was hailed a hero in the first place .hundreds of people helped others that night and he was no different to them .The only reason he was called a hero because he was homeless. He’s nothing but a toe rag !
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: the virtue signaling twitterati elevated him to hero status because it suited their rhetoric. They had all moved on about a day later. The truth is an inconvenience to a lot of modern commentators
Whenever the media tries to Champion a member of the homeless community it always seems to backfire on them. Jonathan Corrie, Shane “Jack” Watson, this guy. They are homeless because the people around them grew tired of their ways.
Skum bag
@PaulOD:
A vulture.
Pretty reprehensible to be stealing from dying people and their relatives, no argument.
But 4 and a half years? That seems excessive.
Just a bit, no?
@Abbie Cranky:
Will ya go way will ya and stop talking stupid.
@Abbie Cranky: that’s the way the ball bounces in a proper judicial system…the UK isn’t a bit like us when it comes to sentencing…you’re just too indoctrinated into the Irish system of having 100 previous & getting probation when you’re out on bail & Rob yet another teenager or OAP
@Frank Dubogovik: His life is objectively terrible. It’s now going to be worse. He just had 50 grand waved under his nose then taken away.
By going to jail he is now just a burden on the tax payer.
This doesn’t make it better for anyone.
Our sentencing is ridiculously low here no argument. But I still think four and half years for robbery is a bit high.
@Abbie Cranky: reread the last paragraph….”Parker has a string of previous convictions “….hence a decent sentence….basically hes a “bad un”….of no benefit /asset to
society. To Rob from the teenage victims of a horrendous massacre is bad enough to start with but he’s made a career of being a lowlife
@Abbie Cranky: well for sure compared to the 4 months the irish guy got for marching an 89 yr old lady to the bank as part of a con job
@Abbie Cranky: Pretty reprehensible to be stealing from dying people and their relatives.
When bankers do it it’s called a scandal, no crime committed.
with any luck he’ll “bump” into some relatives/relations/ friends of the poor victims while in porridge.
Welp, guess he’s not homeless anymore.
Hero to zero in record time.
The first thing he did was feed himself
Society is a mess
Wow a bit judgemental on here tonight. Walk a mile in his shoes maybe.
@Michael: there’s no justification for stealing from people who lay dying. .
He used the card to buy McDonald’s… he wasn’t exactly swindling the kids out of their inheritance. Hope none if you ever go hungy!
@Steph: ah sure that’s grand so. The piece of shîte could have ordered a roll in a shop and fůcked off without paying.
What a waster.He had a motive for “helping
Those poor unfortunates. He deserves this sentence .
Common thief? Don’t even think a common thief would steep so low.
He will get a meal and a bed for 4 years. Don’t know the case But if he saved people, which I wrekon he may have and done something stupid because that’s the way socity has people today. Somega Homeless people can be the most compassionate because the longing they have to be excepted and be helped. If this beautiful victim of the MC bombings was unconscious theyou couldn’t return the favour. If conscious…. you actually couldn’t repay someone. … PEOPLE LACK!!!!!
@Lilly white: huh???
Fake news to blame elevated this phoney in the first place.
Eugene Walsh x thank you
Bad form lads
Skim….
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