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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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Why doesn’t the Journal have a “Spammer of the Week” seeing as the Journal seems to take no notice of it’s own Terms of Use? You could also have a “Troll of the Week” as well. There are at least one or 2 fake accounts on here that would win hands down each week without fail.
Tommy macdonagh would need another trophy cabinet
Should have put it in the survey lads
notice how of the top 5 commented on stories this week, the highest is 277 and the lowest is 201
2 years ago, those numbers would have been a minimum of double that, possibly even triple,
slowly but surely the journal is slipping into obscurity, and they only have themselves to blame,
with their bias in choosing what comments to delete and their complete apathy to the bigger trolls who flagrantly break the TOS.
Cop yourself on journal, make it an even playing field for everyone, do something about the massive trolling and the obvious incitement by certain accounts, and you might have a chance of reversing the trend
but somehow i doubt you will do anything until it is too late.
Here hear.
Nutjob of the week goes to… Nutella Boy ;)
Surely Blind Faith had the most popular comment in the Gardai assault article?
you should know by now Paddy “most popular comment” doesn`t count – it depends ENTIRELY on what the staff deem the most popular, anything that goes against their idea is consigned to the dustbin.
http://www.thejournal.ie/manor-street-gardai-assault-2910906-Aug2016/
Even the second comment got more than a thousand greens but thejournal.ie just ignores them.
It happens every week and makes this regular article a sham.
I know it’s incredibly frustrating when people that don’t agree with me insist on been heard…..
Great photo of Donald Trump sucking out a babie’s brain. He is truly evil.
nearly as good as O`Bamas imitation of a gun, he would want to watch himself too, considering he is black, that kind of pose is liable to get you shot over there at the moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDqfg3tYIQ
Better comment of the week here?
Better quality…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xham2-P5LQc
have your say