Parliamentary expenses cheat Jim Devine was released from prison yesterday after four months, sources said.

The ex-Labour MP, jailed in March, served only a quarter of his 16-month sentence.

He submitted false invoices totalling £8,385 between 2008 and 2009 – after the expenses scandal broke.

It is understood Devine, 58, was freed from Standford Hill Prison, Kent, under the home detention curfew scheme, which lets low-risk prisoners be tagged and leave early.

Imprisoned ex-MPs Eric Illsley and David Chaytor have also been tagged and let out under the scheme.

Devine, who formerly represented Livingston, West Lothian, told jurors he acted on advice given with a "nod and a wink" by a fellow MP.

His home curfew will last four months, followed by eight months on probation.

The TaxPayers' Alliance's Emma Boon said the early release "makes his sentence look like a hollow gesture".