[jason]

Paedophile pop mogul Jonathan King continued to protest his innocence as he left prison after serving three-and-a-half years for sexually abusing teenage boys.



He claimed his spell in custody had been "fantastic" and said he now intends to devote time to help pursue hundreds of miscarriage of justice cases.

King, who left Maidstone Prison in Kent at 7.10am, said: "I'm innocent of the charges against me. There is no issue of the acts being consensual, there were no acts. However much people try, you can't bend the truth.

"There's no truth in the offences whatsoever. One of the five men I am accused of abusing I have never even met and there is no evidence I ever did meet him."

He confirmed that his legal team are awaiting a judicial review to challenge the Criminal Cases Review Commission's decision not to refer his case to the Court of Appeal.

Lawyers claim the conviction is unlawful because the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions was not sought.

"My lawyer tells me he is very certain of our case, so we hope that eventually the conviction will be quashed," said King.

As he travelled into London to meet probation officers, the former Genesis producer claimed life behind bars had been "fascinating".

"It was the most fantastic three-and-a-half years of my life, in prison," he said. "You meet fascinating people and get to see the other side of the world, one that you never knew existed. Like most people, I had the view that once the prison gate slams shut, hell takes place, but the reality couldn't be further from the truth."