A homeless man initially lauded as a hero following the Manchester Arena attack has admitted in court he actually stole the purse of a woman attending her dying granddaughter.
Chris Parker, 33, admitted to two counts of theft and one of fraud after CCTV footage was screened to Manchester Crown Court of him supposedly attending victims outside Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017.
But Mr Parker was captured stealing the handbag of Pauline Healey while she was caring for her dying granddaughter nearby.
Within hours he was using her bank card at a fast food restaurant, BBC reported.
The trial of Parker was supposed to begin yesterday, but he failed to appear.
He was found hiding in a loft in West Yorkshire and subsequently arrested.
Following the attack, Mr Parker had been cast as a hero for his believed efforts to aid injured victims outside Manchester Arena.
A GoFundMe crowdfunding web-page was set up to raise funds to reward Mr Parker for his efforts, accumulating $NZ99,000.
Following the revelations of Mr Parkers theft, the money raised is set to be refunded.
There were 22 people killed in the attack in which a homemade bomb was detonated at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017, leaving many more injured.
SHARE ME