Doherty expresses surprise that 'jail is full of gangsters'

Prison life is all about gangsters and Radio 4, Pete Doherty declared as he walked free from Wormwood Scrubs yesterday.

The Babyshambles singer was released from the west London jail after serving just 29 days of a 14-week sentence for breaching his probation. In October, he received a suspended sentence for driving while uninsured and with no MoT while in possession of crack cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis.

Doherty, 29, was then jailed in April after missing appointments with probation officers. As he walked through the exit yesterday, he said: "Thank you, Mrs Thatcher, for putting me in the company of the most dangerous criminals in the country."

He said he was pleased to be out and looking forward to having a rum and Coke and spending some time with his cats at his home in Wiltshire. He then borrowed a reporter's phone to call someone to pick him up.

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

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

Indicating that he had used his incarceration to catch up on cultural pursuits, he revealed he had kept a journal and displayed sketches and doodles he had drawn in his cell.

Doherty's solicitor, Sean Curran, confirmed that his client had been kept apart from other inmates for his own safety but would not comment on reports that this was because some had been planning to attack him.