Teenager stabbed stranger at Manchester Victoria after he ‘thought he was looking at him’

A teenage thug stabbed a stranger at Manchester Victoria station after he ‘thought he was looking at him'. Then 18-year-old Brandan Gillard was standing on the Metrolink platform when he clocked the victim before he confronted him.

The two were not known to each other but Gillard appeared to have been following him, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The victim was able to push him away before a scuffle ensued and the man pushed Gillard onto the tram tracks. Gillard then chased the man through the concourse of the station before stabbing him to the chest in front of a terrified family.

READ MORE: BMW driver dies and passenger fighting for life after crash following police chase

READ MORE: Horror as teenage girl sexually attacked in alleyway in Salford with manhunt underway

The man was left with a severe laceration to his chest and a wound to his liver. Gillard was seen on CCTV to throw the knife before making a run for it, but was caught by off-duty police officers and the station’s security staff.

Today, December 6, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in a young offenders institution after pleading guilty to wounding with intent, possession of a knife and possession of cannabis which was found on him when he was arrested.

David James, prosecuting, said that on May 19 this year, at around 10.30am, Gillard could be seen walking ahead of the victim before confronting him on the Metrolink platform. “The defendant then appears to immediately start a physical confrontation with him and tries to push him away,” he said.

“This quickly develops into a fight and the victim is able to overwhelm him and push him onto the tracks before stepping away. He then immediately runs away in panic and fear as the defendant follows.”