Grinning thug takes selfies outside court as he's spared jail for stabbing

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Issac Francis posed for selfies after he was sentenced to an 18 month community order for wounding and possession of a bladed article.

13:05, Fri, Sep 22, 2023 | UPDATED: 13:22, Fri, Sep 22, 2023

Mr Francis smiles into his phone camera (Image: MEN)

A thug who stabbed a man twice during a brawl smiled for selfies outside court after he was spared jail for the attack.

Issac Francis took photos of himself outside Manchester Crown Court after he was handed an 18-month community order for wounding and possession of a bladed article on Thursday (September 21).

Francis is seen with a big grin on his face in the photos with one showing him with another man who has his thumb up.

The court heard how Francis, of Carrfield Avenue, Little Hulton in Salford, ran up behind a man who was being attacked by three others in the Piccadilly Gardens area of Manchester, stabbing him twice in the left buttock.

He was sat on a bench when he spotted the brawl and decided to pile in despite not knowing any of those involved, Manchester Evening News reports.

Issac Francis, 22, posed for selfies after avoiding jail (Image: MEN)

The 22-year-old was captured on CCTV running towards the brawl with his right hand in his pocket.

Two police officers saw the attack and swooped in, finding a man with blood seeping through his trousers. Three men, including Francis, ran off after spotting the police.

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

Francis was arrested on March 21 after he was identified in CCTV footage and was remanded into custody five days later.

The court heard Francis has one previous conviction for robbery and possession of a bladed article for which he received an 11 month referral order in February, 2019.

Mr Francis joined in a brawl despite not knowing any of the people fighting (Image: MEN)

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Nicola Carroll, representing Francis, told the court her client felt “genuine remorse” for his actions and that the offence had been the “wake up call he needed”.

Mitigating, she said Francis, who was supported in court by his mother, had “complex psychological needs” and had got involved in the fight due to a “misplaced sense of loyalty to those involved”.

Recorder Alexandra Simmons, passing sentence, said she was satisfied Francis was remorseful and that she acknowledged his young age and psychological needs. But she said an offence committed in the city centre with knives deserved a custodial sentence.

Despite this, she sentenced Francis to a community order due to the fact he had already been on curfew and remand for the equivalent of the 18 month prison sentence he would have been given.

As part of the order, Francis has been told to complete a 120 day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and ordered to do 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days. He has also been banned from entering Piccadilly Gardens.

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