By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:32 EST, 17 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:30 EST, 18 May 2012 . Marc Kirvin leaves Manchester Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to stealing the handbag of a woman knocked down and decapitated by a lorry . A thief stole the handbag of a hit-and-run victim as her decapitated body lay in the road, a court heard yesterday. Marc Kirvin, 46, picked up the bag, which contained £1,600 in cash, minutes after grandmother Sawari Ashraf, 62, was hit by a lorry. The impact propelled Mrs Ashraf’s bag 400ft from her body and Kirvin claimed he did not know an accident had occurred. He told police he was looking for work that day and had taken the money ‘because of greed’. His arrest came after CCTV pictures were published of the theft – during which he also took the dead woman’s shoes – on March 29 in Longsight, Manchester. The grisly nature of the incident also led to ghoulish onlookers taking sick pictures of the scene and posting them on the internet. Jennifer Baines, prosecuting, said she accepted it was plausible that Kirvin, who was travelling in a different lorry, may not have been aware of the crash as there had been little reaction by motorists in that area and there had been no obvious debris. She added: ‘The most aggravating feature in this case is because he took the handbag, police had no identification and the lady’s family weren’t aware for two days that their mother and their grandmother had been taken from them.’ Officers had to trawl missing persons’ records and issue several public appeals for information before finally identifying Mrs Ashraf’s remains. Opportunist: Kirvin clutches the handbag containing £1,600 as he approaches one of the dead woman's shoes lying on the ground . Grasping: Kirvin reaches down for Mrs Ashraf's handbag, which was thrown some 130 metres from her body after she was hit by the lorry . Shameless: Marc Kirvin, 46, is seen on CCTV carrying the decapitated woman's shoes. A witness said a man calmly picked up the footwear and handbag - which where catapulted 100 yards from her body . Sarwari Ashraf, 62, was killed instantly on when she was struck by the lorry in Manchester . Since the family are Muslim, they were said to be deeply troubled at the fact they could not bury her body as soon as possible, which is  traditional. Their statement concluded: ‘Our family cannot express the stress, anxiety, heartache and sadness this has caused.’ Manchester magistrates’ court heard Kirvin was arrested after an appeal on Crimestoppers was answered. His wife Alison said he felt guilty taking the money and was going to spend it on their children at Christmas, but she said she had persuaded him to hand it in to the police, which he planned to do. Kirvin, of Altrincham, Greater  Manchester, yesterday admitted theft and was warned he faced imprisonment. District Judge Wendy Lloyd adjourned the case until June 20 for reports. She said: ‘The defendant must have known that losing that sum of cash would be massively distressing to anyone. He must be prepared for the worst.’ A lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving but has been freed on bail pending further inquiries. Search: Forensic officers searching a logistics lorry on a industrial park in Newton Heath, Manchester . Scene: Police Officers at the scene where the remains of a woman's body were found in the middle of the road .
Marc Kirvin, 46, grabbed shoes and handbag after woman was killed by lorry .
Split £1,600 with friend and was going to use it to take wife on holiday .
Admits theft and told by judge he faces jail when he is sentenced next month .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:32 EST, 17 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:30 EST, 18 May 2012 . Marc Kirvin leaves Manchester Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to stealing the handbag of a woman knocked down and decapitated by a lorry . A thief stole the handbag of a hit-and-run victim as her decapitated body lay in the road, a court heard yesterday. Marc Kirvin, 46, picked up the bag, which contained £1,600 in cash, minutes after grandmother Sawari Ashraf, 62, was hit by a lorry. The impact propelled Mrs Ashraf’s bag 400ft from her body and Kirvin claimed he did not know an accident had occurred. He told police he was looking for work that day and had taken the money ‘because of greed’. His arrest came after CCTV pictures were published of the theft – during which he also took the dead woman’s shoes – on March 29 in Longsight, Manchester. The grisly nature of the incident also led to ghoulish onlookers taking sick pictures of the scene and posting them on the internet. Jennifer Baines, prosecuting, said she accepted it was plausible that Kirvin, who was travelling in a different lorry, may not have been aware of the crash as there had been little reaction by motorists in that area and there had been no obvious debris. She added: ‘The most aggravating feature in this case is because he took the handbag, police had no identification and the lady’s family weren’t aware for two days that their mother and their grandmother had been taken from them.’ Officers had to trawl missing persons’ records and issue several public appeals for information before finally identifying Mrs Ashraf’s remains. Opportunist: Kirvin clutches the handbag containing £1,600 as he approaches one of the dead woman's shoes lying on the ground . Grasping: Kirvin reaches down for Mrs Ashraf's handbag, which was thrown some 130 metres from her body after she was hit by the lorry . Shameless: Marc Kirvin, 46, is seen on CCTV carrying the decapitated woman's shoes. A witness said a man calmly picked up the footwear and handbag - which where catapulted 100 yards from her body . Sarwari Ashraf, 62, was killed instantly on when she was struck by the lorry in Manchester . Since the family are Muslim, they were said to be deeply troubled at the fact they could not bury her body as soon as possible, which is  traditional. Their statement concluded: ‘Our family cannot express the stress, anxiety, heartache and sadness this has caused.’ Manchester magistrates’ court heard Kirvin was arrested after an appeal on Crimestoppers was answered. His wife Alison said he felt guilty taking the money and was going to spend it on their children at Christmas, but she said she had persuaded him to hand it in to the police, which he planned to do. Kirvin, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, yesterday admitted theft and was warned he faced imprisonment. District Judge Wendy Lloyd adjourned the case until June 20 for reports. She said: ‘The defendant must have known that losing that sum of cash would be massively distressing to anyone. He must be prepared for the worst.’ A lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving but has been freed on bail pending further inquiries. Search: Forensic officers searching a logistics lorry on a industrial park in Newton Heath, Manchester . Scene: Police Officers at the scene where the remains of a woman's body were found in the middle of the road .
the handbag containing £1,600 as he approaches her body after she was hit by the lorry . Shameless: Marc Kirvin, 46, is seen on CCTV her body . Sarwari Ashraf, 62, was killed taking the money and was going to spend it on Manchester, yesterday admitted theft and was