Manchester attack: Mother of homeless man who cradled dying victim begs him to come home

The estranged mother of the homeless man who rushed to help victims of the Manchester attack has begged him to return home.

Chris Parker, 33, said he regularly begs inside the foyer of the Manchester Arena at the end of concerts and was present at the time of the attack.

Mr Parker was knocked to the floor with the force of the explosion, which killed 22 and left 59 others injured, after which he ran inside to help the victims.

Now his mother, Jessica Parker, has taken to Facebook to try and get in touch with her son.

“This is my son who has been estranged from me for a long while. I had no idea he was homeless but he was extremely brave last night,” Ms Parker said.

“Please get in touch with me Chris Parker.”

Her post has been liked more than 1,300 times and shared by just under 600 people.

In a separate comment, Ms Parker said the pair has been “estranged for a very long time” and that she was “very proud of him”.

Mr Parker has been hailed a “true hero” after he risked his life to help the victims of the attack.

"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. There was people lying on the floor everywhere,” he said.

"I saw a little girl ... she had no legs. I wrapped her in one of the merchandise T-shirts and I said 'where is your mum and daddy?' She said 'my dad is at work, my mum is up there'."

Mr Parker, who has slept rough in Manchester for about a year, also tended to a dying woman in her 60s.

"She passed away in my arms. She was in her 60s and said she had been with her family,” he said.

A Gofundme page has been set up for Mr Parker and has raised more than £30,000 in 18 hours.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that someone who can react so heroically in such a terrifying situation should be on the streets,” the description on the page says.

“Hopefully this campaign will go some way to helping Chris off the streets and also show are gratitude for his actions.”