A former gang leader who turned his life around after a prison sentence has written a poetry collection to warn young gang members against a life of crime.

Justin Rollins’ latest book was inspired by the tragic suicide of his friend Jamaine Taylor in Morden Park in February this year.

An inquest heard he had a difficult childhood and depression had led him to take his own life.

Mr Rollins, 29, said: "I wrote a poem after his death and that was how I dealt with it, it really inspired me to write this collection."

The poetry collection, entitled Street Crhyme, will be released on November 25, and is his first poetry collection.

Mr Rollins grew up in Carshalton and started a graffiti gang WZ operating in Sutton and Merton.

He said: "Growing up I didn’t know who I was.I got bullied at school and then found myself becoming trapped in this life of crime."

The former Carshalton High School for Boys student (now Carshalton Boys Sports College) and Glenthorne High School student started running away from home at the age of ten.

Mr Rollins said: "We started off tagging and stealing spray paint but then we started stealing more and more and it spiralled out of control."

The father-of-one began writing poetry when in prison for robbery, he won a prison poetry competition and discovered his talent.

This collection is specifically aimed at young children influenced by rap music lyrics which encourage them to lead a life of crime.

He said: "This is me telling my story which kids might be impressed by but it is also showing them the negative outcome of this lifestyle."

"They can see how I went down the wrong path and how painful that was."

Mr Rollins published his first book The Lost Boyz, an autobiography of his troubled childhood, in 2011 and another book, My Crazy Days, in 2012.

He will be signing copies of his book at Sutton Waterstones on January 11.