Tuesday 30 January 2018

'You were not the hero you pretended to be'... Judge slams homeless 'thief' who stole from Manchester bomb victims.

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Robber followed elderly man into his Bradford home before struggle over cash

Parker claimed to have helped some of those injured in the attack and was initially hailed a hero, with more than £50,000 being raised by the public to help the rough sleeper.

But CCTV recovered by police showed him wandering the foyer of the arena amid the dying and injured, stealing from victims.

The 33-year-old admitted at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court last month to stealing a purse and a mobile phone from two victims.

On Tuesday he was jailed at the same court for four years and three months for two counts of theft and one count of fraud.

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."

Salman Abedi's suicide bombing killed 22 people and left scores injured on May 22 last year.

Parker was caught on camera leaning over the body of injured survivor Pauline Healey to steal her purse as her 14-year-old granddaughter Sorrell Leczkowski, a pupil at Allerton High School in Leeds, lay dying nearby.

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He also snatched the mobile phone of a teenager and within hours was using Mrs Healey's bank cards at a local McDonald's.

Prosecutors said the defendant provided "some limited assistance" but that he also took the opportunity to commit the thefts immediately after the atrocity.

He will not receive the money raised for him through the public appeal on GoFundMe. It will instead go back to the donors.

Following sentencing, Supt Chris Hill from Greater Manchester Police, said: "No matter what personal circumstances you might find yourself in, to steal from injured

and terrified innocent people is deplorable.

Halifax schoolgirl texted her mother on day of her death inquest told

"Parker exploited these people when they were at their most vulnerable and needed the help of those around them.

"I cannot begin to imagine what they have been through and I want to thank them for their courage."

Ben Southam of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Christopher Parker entered Manchester Arena in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. It was a devastating and distressing scene, and while he did offer some comfort and assistance to a number of victims who had been injured by the bomb, the evidence showed he was also looking for opportunities to take advantage of the situation.

Read more at Halifax Courier

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