A FORMER criminal, who was once described as a one man-crime wave, has successfully turned his life around after being released from prison.

By the age of 28, Jodie Hind had accumulated 20 convictions for 87 offences.

Most of these were for theft and burglary, but he also had numerous driving offences and convictions for assault and arson.

He also spent much of his youth behind bars, while in 2001 a judge branded him responsible for a wild spree of offending.

In January 2007, his criminality came to a halt when he was imprisoned for four years.

However, since his release, in January, he has remained on the straight and narrow and is now trying to help people who are in similar circumstances.

Following his release, he worked with probation staff on its persistent and priority offenders (PPO) scheme.

And now, the Stockton man has been praised for his voluntary work with the Five Lamps charity in Thornaby, where he works as a mentor to other people.

Last week, he won the Volunteer of the Year award at the annual North-East Voluntary and Community Sector Awards held at the Radisson Hotel, in Durham.

He said: "The award is great, but it isn't really all about me.

"The important thing is that people are contacting me and seeking help.

"They often say that if I can do it, so can they.

"The PPO was the key tome turning my life around, it helped on so many levels.

"Now I am using my experiences to persuade others to replace criminality with other, better and more positive ways of living."

Welcoming the award, Jacqui Fleet of the Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust's PPO team, said: "The key to the programme is that we subject people to intense supervision.

"We are always there to help with any problems they come up against.

"Alongside that, the continuity of the team means that we all get to know each other and, through doing that, we develop a trust which results in great outcomes, just like this one has had for Jodie."

Mr Hind is now involved in setting up a recovery group and is willing to talk to anybody who is tired of living a life of crime or addiction.

He can be reached on 01642 673828.