HE IS the brazen thug who has become Southampton’s most wanted man.

But while hundreds of police officers are on alert to find serial offender Michael Easy following a knife attack on a teenager, he has so far managed to evade capture – yet still had time to update his Facebook page.

The 27-year-old, who goes by a different name on the social networking website, was busy uploading a new picture of himself just 24 hours after allegedly carrying out the terrifying assault.

However, despite widespread publicity and appeals to find him, last night he remained on the run.

As revealed by the Daily Echo, the public are being warned not to approach Easy, who has been branded violent and dangerous.

As well as a history of attacking women, it is alleged he struck again just last weekend when he punched the 19-year-old woman in the face when he gate-crashed a house party in the city.

He is said to have gone on to kick her in the thigh before cutting her neck with an eight-inch silver knife and dragging her into the street as she bled from the wound.

The woman then managed to struggle free and escape his clutches before running off and raising the alarm. Her injuries were not life-threatening but she is said to have been badly shaken by the incident.

Easy, of no fixed abode, has a string of previous offences including an unprovoked attack on his girlfriend in front of her toddler son nearly four years ago. At that time he had 27 previous convictions. Today detectives revealed that numerous new lines of enquiry were now being followed up as a result of information coming in from the public.

Acting detective chief inspector Paul Gelman said: “We are following several fresh lines of enquiry which are being worked on immediately by the investigation team.

“I’d like to thank members of the public who have come forward and are assisting us in tracing Michael Easy and would urge anyone who has not yet spoken to us to please come forward – do not rely on others to do so.”

He told how a team of officers from the force joint operations unit is now working with CID and uniformed police in a “coordinated effort to locate and arrest Michael Easy”.

DCI Gelman added: “I’d like to reassure the public that for their safety, tracing him is a high priority for Southampton police.

“Please bear in mind that this individual is considered dangerous.

If he is staying with you, please do the right thing and tell us where he is.

“I would also like to once again appeal directly to Michael Easy to please hand yourself in to avoid any risk of harm to yourself or others.”

Anyone with information or who knows the whereabouts of Easy is asked to call Southampton CID on 101.