Grinning thug poses for selfies outside court after he's spared jail for stabbing stranger in Piccadilly Gardens

A thug who stabbed a man twice in Piccadilly Gardens took smiling selfies outside Manchester Crown Court after he was spared jail for the attack.

Issac Francis, 22, posed for the seemingly triumphant selfies after being handed an 18 month community order for wounding and possession of a bladed article on Thursday (September 21).

In the photos, Francis is seen with a big grin on his face. In one of the pictures, another man is seen posing with his thumbs up next to the defendant as he takes the snap of the pair.

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The court heard how in March last year Francis, of Carrfield Avenue, Little Hulton, ran up behind a man who was being attacked by three others in the Piccadilly Gardens area and stabbed him twice with a knife in the left buttock.

Francis was on a bench when he spotted the brawl and decided to join in despite not knowing any of the men involved. The 22-year-old was captured on CCTV running towards the group attack with his right hand in his pocket.

Two police officers on foot patrol saw the attack and swooped onto the scene where they found a man with blood seeping through his trousers. On seeing the officers three men, including Francis, fled on foot.

His victim was rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he received stitches for two two centimetre stab wounds.

Francis was arrested on March 21, a week after the stabbing, after being identified through CCTV footage. He was remanded into custody five days later.

The court heard that the 22-year-old has one previous conviction for robbery and