A REFORMED criminal who met his victims to say “sorry” joined parents who confronted a killer of their teenage son at a Teesside conference to share their positive experiences of Restorative Justice.

After 18 years spent in and out of prison, embroiled in a world of drugs and crime, Ian Birdsall from Stockton said he has turned his life around after coming face-to-face with the people whose lives he blighted.

“Where I live I’d never seen anyone get off drugs so I’d accepted that’s how my life would be,” he explained. “A friend who was seeking help from a local drugs and alcohol service said to me, 'Are you not sick of what you are doing?' It was a reality check.”

The 37-year-old, who has a partner of 19 years and three children, agreed to meet staff from the small petrol station where he had stolen fuel as part of the Restorative Justice programme.

“I have taken from society for so long it was time to give something back," he said.

"At the meeting I was really nervous. I found out that the petrol station owner had been away on holiday so a woman had been working there and she’d been really frightened about having to tell her manager.

“I could see the pain I had caused them.

“Not only did I apologise but I was able to tell them that they hadn’t been targeted on purpose and there was nothing they could have done to prevent it."

Since then Mr Birdsall has encouraged his friends to take part in the scheme.

“It has had a real ripple effect, it was an amazing experience,” he added.

He was leading a workshop held at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough organised by Cleveland Police.

Since it was launched by the force in April 2013, 700 young people and 140 adults have been held to account by their victims.

Also speaking were Vi and Ray Donovan from Surrey, whose 18-year-old son was brutally murdered by three teenage boys in 2001. They had an emotional meeting with one of the killers after he had served his sentence and visited Chris’s grave together.

“Restorative justice restores the family and it restores the community,” said Mr Donovan. “I want him to live the life that Chris never had.

“It’s not about how many years they serve in prison, it’s about them understanding what they have done,” his wife added.

Assistant Chief Constable, Sean White, said: “Our job is to protect the public and tackle crime, antisocial behaviour and bring offenders to justice.

“Restorative Justice plays a vital role in reassuring victims, addressing offender behaviour and preventing further harm but it’s not a soft option.”