Manchester Arena bombing homeless hero 'stole ' bank card from woman injured in the attack

A homeless man hailed as a hero after helping in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing has been charged with stealing the credit card of one of the victims.

Chris Parker, 33, was arrested and charged with stealing the card from Pauline Healey as she lay injured following the attack at the Ariana Grande concert.


A Greater Manchester police statement said Parker, of no fixed abode, had been charged with two counts of theft and remanded to appear at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on Wednesday.

Healey’s 14-year-old granddaughter Sorrell Leczkowski was killed in the suicide attack by Salman Abedi on 22 May. Her daughter, Samantha, Sorrell’s mother, was also seriously injured. Healey was left in a coma for several days and had to have surgery to remove shrapnel from the bomb.

Parker was widely hailed in the media as a hero in the aftermath of the bombing after he described cradling a dying woman, following his “gut instinct” to help rather than running away.

More than £50,000 was raised for Parker in the days after the attack via a crowdfunding campaign. The Guardian understands Parker has continued to sleep rough since the attacks.

A total of 3,799 people pledged £52,589 for Parker, though he has yet to receive any of the cash.
A spokesman for GoFundMe said: “We’re monitoring the situation closely. We are in full control of the funds and all donors are completely protected by the GoFundMe Guarantee. Anyone concerned about their donation should contact us at gofundme.com/guarantee.”