Secret Millionaire changed Wolverhampton young offender's life

Locked up in Brinsford Young Offenders Institution on drugs and firearms charges, Daniel, who was 21 at the time, was chosen to take part in a Channel 4 documentary about life behind bars.

Unbeknown to Daniel and his fellow inmates the show was The Secret Millionaire and its presenter Piers Linney, the ultra-successful IT entrepreneur whose company Outsourcery was worth around £50m.

The show, which was broadcast later that year, would prove to be the catalyst for a remarkable turnaround in Daniel's life.

Four years later and the former Parkfields High School pupil has his feet planted firmly on the straight and narrow, heading up his own successful IT business dealing with six figure contracts.

"When Piers came into Brinsford none of us knew who he was," said Daniel. "This was before he was on Dragon's Den so to us he was just a guy from Channel 4 coming to look at what we do.

"Just talking to him made me realise there was hope that when I got out I could make a better life for myself. My situation had been very dark and because of my record I thought there were no opportunities out there for me."

In 2009 Daniel, who admits he was in a life of gangs, guns and drug dealing, was arrested on board a bus near Wolverhampton city centre following a fight in Whitmore Reans.

During a search of the house in All Saints he shared with his heartbroken mother Pauline, officers seized cocaine, heroin and a Colt automatic loading pistol with ammunition.

Prior to his arrest the talented student, who has 14 GCSEs to his name, had plotted a career as a barrister. But his dreams were left in tatters when he was locked away for five-and-a-half years.

He thought it was the end of the road, after serving three years of his sentence he was released. Within two weeks he had moved away from the city and set about making a new start. And his Secret Millionaire connection offered him a chance to do just that.

"I had kept in touch with Piers and he was kind enough to offer me a job at one of his companies," said Daniel.

"I put everything into my work. I started off dealing with customers issues in IT support and just took it from there."

Within 18 months he had risen through the ranks and become a senior member of the systems specialist team. Last year he decided to go it alone and started up his own firm, OutSource ICT, specialising in cloud solutions.

After pitching for several large contracts, he recently signed his first £100,000 deal.

"Four years ago I was at the bottom," said Daniel, speaking from his home in Salford Quays, near Manchester. "I didn't think any of this would be possible. I had a lot of support, not just from Piers but from other people as well."

Chief among those 'other people' was his mother Pauline, who Daniel said remained strong for him through his darkest days.

"She was on her own when I got sent down. I remember seeing her crying, the impact I had on her. She has always been there for me. Wanting to make her proud really spurred me on."

Despite his current northern base, Daniel said he has not forgotten his roots, and hopes to one day return to Wolverhampton and start a business in the city.

"That's my ambition," he said. "I'd love to open up an office in my home town and train people; help people in the way that I had help. The company needs to grow first and then we'll see what happens.

And is Piers still keeping tabs on his progress?

"He still looks out for me," he said. "We are still quite close. He's like my mentor, always checking to see what I'm up to and giving me advice."