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.
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