Five years ago, he was in a gang.
He was then only 13 and in Secondary Two.
He got into fights, peddled drugs, sold illegal VCDs, and stole cars and motorcycles.
When he was caught, he was sent to the Singapore Boys' Home for a year.
He has turned over a new leaf after going through a restorative practice programme.
Tim (not his real name), now 18, told TheNew Paper that he had joined the gang out ofcuriosity.
He said: "Everything inside (the gang) was new to me. I was just trying to get some experience."
A friend from school had introduced him to the gang members, who were mostly in their 30s and 40s.
He was the youngest member.
In 2008, Tim joined the gang officially and went through an induction ritual in a Chinese temple.
He said: "At that time, I felt very proud. They were my brothers, buying me food, paying me attention and taking care of me."
For the next five months, he led a life that would have horrified many. He got into more than 10 fights with strangers, mostly over staring incidents, and, in his own words, "stupid stuff".
He even broke his arm during one of these fights. Afraid of going to a hospital, he stayed at home and applied bandages on himself.
Until today, he has not fully recovered, he said, and he cannot lift heavy weights.
Stole over 70 vehicles
Within five months, he stole more than 30 cars and 40 motorcycles, just to get joyrides.
He peddled packets of ketamine and heroin in nightclubs and sold illegal VCDs.
He said: "I was clearly underage. But there wasalways a way to sneak into clubs. By selling VCDs, I could also make S$900 a day."
He used the money to buy four Louis Vuitton bags for himself, each costing S$700 to S$2,000.
He said: "The gang members neither encouraged or discouraged me from breaking the law. They always said: 'You do it at your own risk'."
In July 2008, a member of the gang named Tim to the police. Tim said he does not know why.
Tim faced nine charges in the Juvenile Court, including vehicle theft, and was sent to the Boys' Home for a year in 2009.
There, he was exposed to discipline and was told to stop contacting his former gangster friends.
He said: "I listened because I figured that they were the reason I was inside in the first place."
Tim completed his Secondary Two exams in the Boys' Home and was released in 2010.
After that, his school put him under a programme which uses restorative practice methods and includes counselling sessions with a social worker twice a week.
Under this programme, Tim was placed under the charge of Mr Danny Oon, a youth worker with Lutheran Community Care Services, who helped him overcome some of his difficulties.
Mr Oon told TNP: "Tim's case was slightly more serious than most I have encountered. But it was still manageable as he had a serious mind and was sincere about repenting.
"I used the restorative practice techniques to make Tim feel more at ease, hence allowing him to be more open to me."
Tim said: "Mr Oon helped me understand some of the obstacles that I encountered in life.
"I realised I was so rebellious because I felt neglected. As a child, my mother was always working and my father was hardly around."
With Mr Oon's help, Tim got his life back together.
For example, in the past, he hardly attended school and received single-digit scores in his exams. But the Secondary Four teen, who will be taking his N levels this year, said he has been scoring Bs in his exams.
He has also tried to patch things up with his mother and siblings. They live together in a four-room flat in the northern part of Singapore.
Tim hopes to one day help others with a similar background by opening a business that employs former convicts.
He said: "It's hard for those with my background to re-integrate with society, so I hope to help them if I can."
He was then only 13 and in Secondary Two.
He got into fights, peddled drugs, sold illegal VCDs, and stole cars and motorcycles.
When he was caught, he was sent to the Singapore Boys' Home for a year.
He has turned over a new leaf after going through a restorative practice programme.
Tim (not his real name), now 18, told TheNew Paper that he had joined the gang out ofcuriosity.
He said: "Everything inside (the gang) was new to me. I was just trying to get some experience."
A friend from school had introduced him to the gang members, who were mostly in their 30s and 40s.
He was the youngest member.
In 2008, Tim joined the gang officially and went through an induction ritual in a Chinese temple.
He said: "At that time, I felt very proud. They were my brothers, buying me food, paying me attention and taking care of me."
For the next five months, he led a life that would have horrified many. He got into more than 10 fights with strangers, mostly over staring incidents, and, in his own words, "stupid stuff".
He even broke his arm during one of these fights. Afraid of going to a hospital, he stayed at home and applied bandages on himself.
Until today, he has not fully recovered, he said, and he cannot lift heavy weights.
Stole over 70 vehicles
Within five months, he stole more than 30 cars and 40 motorcycles, just to get joyrides.
He peddled packets of ketamine and heroin in nightclubs and sold illegal VCDs.
He said: "I was clearly underage. But there wasalways a way to sneak into clubs. By selling VCDs, I could also make S$900 a day."
He used the money to buy four Louis Vuitton bags for himself, each costing S$700 to S$2,000.
He said: "The gang members neither encouraged or discouraged me from breaking the law. They always said: 'You do it at your own risk'."
In July 2008, a member of the gang named Tim to the police. Tim said he does not know why.
Tim faced nine charges in the Juvenile Court, including vehicle theft, and was sent to the Boys' Home for a year in 2009.
There, he was exposed to discipline and was told to stop contacting his former gangster friends.
He said: "I listened because I figured that they were the reason I was inside in the first place."
Tim completed his Secondary Two exams in the Boys' Home and was released in 2010.
After that, his school put him under a programme which uses restorative practice methods and includes counselling sessions with a social worker twice a week.
Under this programme, Tim was placed under the charge of Mr Danny Oon, a youth worker with Lutheran Community Care Services, who helped him overcome some of his difficulties.
Mr Oon told TNP: "Tim's case was slightly more serious than most I have encountered. But it was still manageable as he had a serious mind and was sincere about repenting.
"I used the restorative practice techniques to make Tim feel more at ease, hence allowing him to be more open to me."
Tim said: "Mr Oon helped me understand some of the obstacles that I encountered in life.
"I realised I was so rebellious because I felt neglected. As a child, my mother was always working and my father was hardly around."
With Mr Oon's help, Tim got his life back together.
For example, in the past, he hardly attended school and received single-digit scores in his exams. But the Secondary Four teen, who will be taking his N levels this year, said he has been scoring Bs in his exams.
He has also tried to patch things up with his mother and siblings. They live together in a four-room flat in the northern part of Singapore.
Tim hopes to one day help others with a similar background by opening a business that employs former convicts.
He said: "It's hard for those with my background to re-integrate with society, so I hope to help them if I can."
