A FORMER young offender who has turned her life around with music is using her lyrics to encourage others to do the same.

Fifteen-year-old Lottie Carter, from Witney, first turned to MC-ing — a form of rap — after losing her brother John-Paul to a drugs overdose three years ago.

After falling in with the wrong crowd Lottie, who calls herself Lady Exonic, said she began to drink heavily and became involved in petty crime.

She said: “I was about 12 at the time. I did my fair share of crimes.

“It was nothing serious, just petty stuff done in drunken moments.

“I think my brother’s death just sent me off the rails. I met a bad crowd and it started from there really.”

Oxfordshire Youth Offending team encouraged Lottie to nurture her love of rap and MC-ing and she now goes with her school — Meadow Brook College, Banbury — every week to recording sessions at the Banbury Youth Centre.

Lottie has proved a natural and has recorded a CD of tracks including Exonic Don’t Forget It, My Life, and two songs called Rest in Peace, which are dedicated to her brother.

Lottie added: “At the moment I’m working on one for my mum to say sorry for everything, and how much I love her.

“Now, when I have got a problem I write about it.

“It’s kind of like counselling for me.”

A track dedicated to her brother is being used in Oxfordshire County Council youth centres to warn others against drugs.

It details the moment she found out he had died and includes fond memories of the man she affectionately calls JP.

It was posted on spired.com, the umbrella website for all youth centres in Oxfordshire, initially to mark last week’s Tackling Drugs week, but now as a tool for all the centres to use in drugs education.

Brendon Miller, youth and drugs worker at Banbury Youth Centre, said he chose Lottie’s track for the website because it was told from the point of view of someone who had lost a loved one to drugs.

He added: “A lot of people could produce a track about drugs, but none of them would have had the same impact as Lottie’s. It’s an excellent track.”

Youth worker Jason Byfield, who has been working on Lottie’s tracks with her, said: “Being able to offer the music workshop is great because the kids come in here and will write page after page of lyrics and not realise how creative they’re being.

“It gives them a massive sense of achievement.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk Lottie's lyrics Hold tight all the people that lost loved ones I know it’s hard Rest in peace to my brother JP Carter I never forget you bro...

All of these deaths, yeah they’re all wrong, All of these deaths, something needs to be done. JP it’s killing Mum because you were her one and only son, You lost and the heroin won, you took too much and look what it’s done.

Get rid of heroin, so there is none.