Year seven pupils at Milford Haven School received a first-hand insight into life inside a young offenders' institute last Tuesday.

A play by students from Pembrokeshire College's performing arts students was followed by a workshop run by reformed young offender Lee Heggie. By his late teens Lee had a string of convictions and spent five months in a youth offending prison as part of a ten month detention and training order.

Lee has now finished his order and is touring the schools as he wants to prevent young people making the same mistakes he did.

Lee told pupils about what it's like inside'. He said: "The worst thing about it is not being able to see your family and friends."

He told them how his nan fell ill and died during his sentence. "That was my life crumbled before my eyes. I couldn't even be there for her," he said.

Lee advised his audience not to get tied up with petty crime in order to impress their friends and to concentrate on getting good qualifications behind them. He regretted leaving school with no GCSEs, he said.