SEEING the cold, lifeless body of his former cellmate lying dead on a cell floor was a final straw for Justin Brame.The former lag, who spent eight years in and out of prisons and young offenders institutions, urged teenagers not to waste their lives away through crime warning "crime doesn't pay."

By Amanda Cresswell

SEEING the cold, lifeless body of his former cellmate lying dead on a cell floor was a final straw for Justin Brame.

The former lag, who spent eight years in and out of prisons and young offenders institutions, urged teenagers not to waste their lives away through crime warning "crime doesn't pay."

Justin has now put the past behind him. But with youth crime on the rise, the 23-year-old hopes youngsters can learn from his experiences in an effort to steer them away from offending.

"I have been punched, hit and bitten in prison," he said. "It is no life. It wrecks your future and rips families apart."

Justin has spent time inside for burglary, including breaking into buildings and once into an empty room.

He lists a string of prisons he has spent time in including Weymouth, Liverpool, Blundeston, Chelmsford, Hollesley and more recently Norwich, where he was bullied because in his own words "he was a soft target" and saw a man hang himself.

The memories of that night will haunt him forever.

See tonight's Evening Star for full story…