Disgraced former Tory Peer Lord Hanningfield, jailed for 9 months back in July after being found guilty of six counts of false accounting in relation to swindling House of Lords expenses, has been released from prison after serving just 9 weeks of his sentence.
The crooked Lord was originally jailed after pocketing £14,000 of expenses he was not entitled to, and after serving just 9 weeks that works out to about 1 week per £1,550 he pocketed.
He continues to protest his innocence despite having been convicted, and will apparently reveal more of his side of the story "when he is ready".
One would have thought perhaps the trial might be the place anyone with evidence which could have led to their being cleared might well have spoken out, but seemingly not Lord Hanningfield.
Lucrative book deals and newspaper interviews in the pipeline perhaps?
Whilst he's making these revelations he may well wish to comment on the average bill of just over £5,000 a month that he ran up paying for 'entertaining' and why on earth the taxpayer should have any sympathy for him whatsoever.
It's somewhat apt that Hanningfield, 70, is a former pig farmer - snouts and troughs spring to mind.
His early release sends a clear message to the British public - swindle the taxpayer via Commons or Lords expenses and you'll get nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and that's if you are unlucky enough to be one of the token handful of cases picked out as a sop to public anger at greedy politicians and grasping lords exploiting us for every penny they can get.
Far from restoring the voters and taxpayers faith in the system, we see our trust betrayed and those who betrayed that trust escape far too lightly.
Disgraced former Tory Peer Lord Hanningfield, jailed for 9 months back in July after being found guilty of six counts of false accounting in relation to swindling House of Lords expenses, has been released from prison after serving just 9 weeks of his sentence.
