THE story of how a teenage armed robber who now lives near Wellington left his criminal past behind and turned his life around is told in a new book.

In Young Offender Michael Maisey talks about his childhood growing up during the late nineties on the tough Ivy Bridge Estate estate in Isleworth in West London. His father was a heroin addict and his mother was an alcoholic – and he was abused by his uncle and bullied at school.

He told the WWN: “I had a very difficult upbringing which led me down the wrong paths in life. I share my story to inspire others that change is possible no matter how bad it’s got.”

Michael found safety at the age of 12 in the ranks of a local gang but went on to become one of London’s most prolific young law-breakers.

He started drinking, taking drugs and shoplifting, and eventually graduated to armed robbery. Aged 16 he found himself in the notorious Feltham Young Offenders’ Institute after a poorly planned raid on a corner shop went wrong.

His first stint there, when he was assigned to Quail Wing, home to the institute’s most violent and dangerous offenders, left him hardened. Then over the next five years he became one of London’s most wanted armed robbers and was in and out of prison.

He was totally dependent on drugs and alcohol and was subjected to a controversial detox programme which ended in a failed suicide attempt. At rock bottom, he attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Earlier this year, after appearing on the Channel 4 programme SAS Who Dares Wins, he told the WWN: “At the age of 15 I was convicted of armed robbery, possession of firearms and went to prison. I got sober at the age of 25 and I have been sober ever since – 11 years now.”

Twenty years after the armed robbery he is the father of two daughters, owner of an estate agency business and aspiring actor. Michael, who lives at Clayhidon, dedicates his spare time to mentoring young offenders and addicts, and was recently honoured by the London Borough of Hounslow for services to the community.

Young Offender by Michael Maisey was published last week by Pan Macmillan priced £8.99 in paperback and is available from Amazon. It is also available in ebook and audio format read by the author.