Disgraced Lord Hanningfield has been released from prison after serving just a quarter of his sentence.

The Tory peer, real name Paul White, was spotted walking his dog Jefferson on Friday afternoon near his home in West Hanningfield.

He was jailed in July for nine months for fiddling his House of Lords expenses to the value of £14,000.

Lord Hanningfield, 70, said: “I have been out of prison for a few days and I was treated very well.

“Some of the people who were in the prison were better than some of the people on the outside. “There is much more to my side of the story, which will be revealed when I’m ready."

See Wednesday's Times for the full story.