Doherty freed from jail 10 weeks early

(Getty Images)

Rock star Pete Doherty walked free from prison today after serving just 29 days of a 14-week sentence.

The singer, who has fought a long and public battle with drug addiction, had been jailed for breaching his probation.

He left Wormwood Scrubs Prison in West London shortly after 7am this morning.

Dressed in a suit and tie, he told the waiting media he was pleased to be out and was looking forward to having a rum and coke and spending some time with his pet cats.

Doherty was engulfed by a media scrum as he left the imposing Victorian prison.

Smoking a cigarette the tousled-haired singer borrowed a reporter's phone to call for somebody to come and pick him up.

He described prison life as "a lot of gangsters and Radio 4" and showed the waiting media a certificate confirming that he had passed a drugs test while inside.

Asked if he had taken any drugs whilst inside the prison, he replied: "Well, I knew it was going to be a bit rough to start with, with the overcrowding and the medical facilities although they do their best - they are good, they can't really cater for the average junkie..."

His release caused such a stir with passing motorists that a bus and a lorry shunted into each other outside the prison causing a long traffic jam.

As he walked through the prison's exit Doherty said: "Thank you Mrs Thatcher for putting me in the company of the most dangerous criminals in the country."

He said he had kept a journal while inside and showed the waiting press doodles and sketches he had penned in his cell.