How I've turned my life around after being locked up 23 TIMES

DAD-OF-8 CREDITS KIDS FOR GIVING HIM REASON TO REFORM

A DAD-OF-EIGHT who has been jailed 23 times says he feels 'proud' of himself for turning his life around.

Ex-burglar Micky has spent most of his life in and out of jail for crimes to fund his hard drug addiction.

The dad, from Old Trafford, was first locked up at the age of 15 for stealing cars and became hooked on drugs just two years later.

Whenever Micky was released from jail, he attempted to get his life on track by trying to find a job - but claims he was rejected by every employer once they found out he was a former offender.

"It was a terrible life," he told the M.E.N. "I was young and getting in trouble. Every time I went to get employment, I couldn't get a job. I had the odd jobs on building sites through agencies, but it just made me feel like I was worthless." Each prison release left Micky struggling to find his way, eventually seeing him become homeless and living on streets all over Greater Manchester. With no job or money to get by, the dad found himself stuck in an endless cycle of turning to crime in order to live.