A former car thief is hoping to launch his own dot.com business after discovering computers and quitting his life of crime.

Twenty-year-old Eddie Dalladay says he is a reformed character after moving to the Foyer Project, a youth training initiative in West Bowling, Bradford.

Before gaining a place at the Foyer, where young people can live while they get training, he had a spell in social services care then drifted into car crime and homelessness.

But when he arrived at the project two years ago he discovered an aptitude for computers - and now teaches an evening class at Bradford College.

"There are about 15 people in my class, a mix of employed and unemployed, young and old," he said. "The class is called PC home maintenance, I show people how to update their PC, keep it running and change hardware.

"It's fun being able to share what I have learned. When someone you have taught succeeds in doing something they couldn't do before, it feels like a big achievement."

Eddie's life now is a far cry from when he was in and out of trouble with the police. He received a number of "slapped wrists" in the youth courts before being handed a £440 fine by magistrates after being a passenger in a stolen car.

When he arrived at the Foyer, he didn't like computers at first but he then got hooked on Internet chat rooms and moved on to founding his own, at www.kchat.org. Eddie said it had 500 registered members all over the world.

Rosemary Lawrence, director of the Foyer Project, said: "Eddie is an inspiration to his peers and is prepared to teach others. He's a star and a good example of what can happen when you provide the right opportunities."

But he will soon have to move on because students are only supposed to stay at the Foyer for two years.

He plans to start up his own Internet business - or failing that pursue a career in social work or teaching.

"The Foyer will help me move on, and hopefully make a success of things next time," he said.