A FORMER gang member who turned his life around after two near-death experiences has published a book about his experiences which he hopes will inspire the community.

Divine-Kofi Kotey-Ampofo, 22, was only 13 when he became caught up in the criminal underworld on The Drive estate in Walthamstow.

But after being shot and then threatened in a violent attempted carjacking aged just 17 he realised the error of his ways and moved to Grays in Essex to start a new life.

Mr Kotey-Ampofo, who now runs a housing renovation services company, said he hoped his book and an accompanying documentary will contribute to the debate on gang culture and promote "positivity not negativity" in Waltham Forest.

He said: "I feel after everything that's happened with me I want to give something back and reach out to the young people who feel that their life just isn't valued and not worth living."

Mr Kotey-Ampofo grew up on the estate in a two bedroom flat with his mother and four siblings.

"It was very challenging for us. Our father wasn't there and it became so bad at times we had to collect pennies just to pay the electricity bill," he said.

But after becoming a cannabis dealer he was soon earning £200 a day, and by aged 15 had started to sell harder drugs.

At age 16 he was given a wake-up when he was shot in the side of his torso, but points to an attempted car jacking as the defining turning point.

“It was about 1am on a foggy night and I was driving down an alleyway type road in my Alpha Romeo when this other car stopped and two men got out. I saw one of them had a 9mm and the other had a pump action shotgun”.

The terrified teenager tried to escape, assuming the duo were planning to assassinate him as part of a drug feud.

“When I was trying to run away that's when I realised this had to stop. I started pleading that I wanted to live,” he said.

It emerged the pair were trying to steal his car. They were scared off when neighbours came to their windows to see what the noise was.

Now Mr Kotey-Ampofo says he wants to help others escape the spiral of gang culture.

He said: "I was living a Russian Roulette lifestyle but I managed to get out. It's an on-going journey though.

"There are some people in gangs who are smart and just need to be given an opportunity to get out. The authorities need to support young people and community groups and entrepreneurs to show them another way is possible"

His book, 'The Elements of Real Success', is available now from publisher Authorhouse Books.

Click here to follow the Waltham Forest Guardian on Twitter