'Homeless hero' now living in Halifax denies stealing from Manchester arena attack victims

A man hailed a 'homeless hero' at the scene of the Manchester Arena bombing has denied stealing a purse and mobile phone from victims of the attack.

By The Newsroom

Published 12th Sep 2017, 13:33 BST

Updated 12th Sep 2017, 13:40 BST

Chris Parker, 33, now living in Halifax, allegedly swiped the purse of Pauline Healey, as her granddaughter Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, lay dying yards away.

He also took a mobile phone belonging to a teenage girl who cannot be named because of her age, it is alleged..

Rough sleeper Parker received global acclaim after the attack as he described witnessing the effects of the blast and tending to the injured.

He told how he had wrapped an injured girl in a T-shirt and cradled a dying woman in his arms.

He appeared in court for a plea and case management hearing at Manchester Crown Court.

Parker entered not guilty pleas to two counts of theft and two counts of attempted theft. Judge Hilary Manley bailed Parker until October 16 for a pre-trial hearing ahead of a three-day trial scheduled to begin on January 2.