This man's cousins killed Damilola, now he's leading a campaign to tackle gangs

Chris Preddie, cousin of brothers Danny and Ricky Preddie, has been chosen as a role model in an initiative to tackle gangs.

The 21-year-old was himself involved in gangs and drugs until he was 16. Then his elder brother Andrew was shot dead at a barber's shop in Brixton and he determined to turn his life around.

Today he will be named the first " community champion" in a scheme to tackle youth violence being run by the charity Crimestoppers.

Chris, now a youth worker and student, is spearheading a campaign urging young people to call the anonymous Crimestoppers phoneline - 0800 555 111 - with information on guns and gangs.

A pilot scheme running in Southwark is to be extended to Lambeth next month.

Chris grew up in Finsbury Park after his mother moved her children away from south London to give them a better life.

But by the age of 16 he found himself involved in crime, dealing cannabis, living in a hostel and associating with gangs.

"I wanted to be the big man, someone suggested selling cannabis and it was a way of making money. It was only when my brother died and a youth worker asked if this was the kind of life that I wanted to lead did I question what I was doing and say no."

He first met his cousins Danny and Ricky, who were jailed in 2006 for the manslaughter of 10-year-old Damilola in Peckham in 2000, at his brother Andrew's funeral.

He says: "The grief, pain and anger for my brother's death is the worst thing. It was too late for him, but I knew I had to turn my life around.

"I went back to college to study music and drama and my teachers there encouragedme to get into youth work. Now it's my passion. "

Today Chris works on estates and schools across London and studies at the WAC performing arts college in Hampstead.

He said: "What I have learned through working with these kids is that half of them don't like selling drugs, they don't want to be on the streets, holding knives. All people really want is a nice life.

"But they see older kids riding a Mercedes and wearing a nice watch and they want that lifestyle. No one is telling them what the consequences really are, that they can get hurt or go to prison.

"Now kids are dying and going down for murder. By the time they are going to prison, it's too late. These are 15-yearolds being convicted for murder. We have to get to them earlier."

Chris says most children are frightened they will be bullied if they leave their gang. "The so-called role models in their life tell them to sell drugs, not to go to college. They trust me as I used to be one of them."

He said many teenagers were surrounded by criminals on their estates and did not know they could call the Crimestoppers number and not be found out.

The scheme in Southwark has led to a 50 per cent rise in calls to Crimestoppers and a doubling of arrests.

Mick Laurie, London Crimestoppers' chief executive, said: "We have to convince the younger members of the community they can talk to Crimestoppers safely. We pass the information on but we never tell anyone where it comes from.

"We know they want to talk to us. They do not want to live a lifestyle involving guns and drugs, they want to make their lives safer and they need to talk to someone in confidence."