Archer checks in with parole officer

Archer was mobbed by press as he left parole officer meeting

Disgraced peer Lord Archer has had his first meeting with his probation officer after being released from prison.

But then it was back to business as usual with a visit to a friend's art gallery followed by dinner at a London restaurant.

He had had a busy day since being released from prison on Monday morning.

He had to fight his way through waiting photographers to register with the probation service at Stockwell, near Brixton, south London.

Almost immediately he threatened to break the terms of his release by leaving the BMW his son was driving parked illegally on a red line.

Police asked that it be moved after a local Labour councillor called it "illegal" and "antisocial".

I can see those paparazzi flashing away in vain, I can see Jeffrey waving goodbye, God it looks like Jeffrey might have a teardrop in his eye The Seven Deadly Sins Hollesley Bay Prison band

Donatus Anyanwa said he hoped Archer would gain from his parole experience in south London.

"I hope it's a learning experience for him. I hope he'll understand that Brixton has a lot to offer."

Under his conditions of release, the former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party will be under probation supervision for one year.

He will remain on licence for a further 12 months until the end of his four-year sentence, but will not be the subject of supervision, Napo said.

Contact with his parole officer must be weekly for the first four weeks, including a home visit in the first 10 days.

Parole contact will become fortnightly and then monthly in the fourth month of his freedom.

Archer was reunited with his wife at home

Archer was released from jail after serving half of his four-year sentence.

He left Hollesley Bay open prison near Woodbridge, Suffolk, two years after being jailed for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

His first stop was his £1.5m home in Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, where he was reunited with his smiling wife, Mary.

Archer was later driven to his luxurious London penthouse flat by son William.

An hour later, he headed to Brixton to see his parole officer.

In the evening, while Lady Archer attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, he visited art dealer friend Chris Beetles at his gallery.

Mr Beetles said that Lord Archer was "an old friend" and it had been "great to see him again".

"I thought he looked remarkably well as for two years I have only seen him in prison garb," Mr Beetles said.

"It felt like old times," he added. "He was very cheerful and relaxed."

HAVE YOUR SAY I cannot help but admire Lord Archer for his ability to bounce back Nicholas J. Rogers, UK Send us your comments

The jury at his trial found the novelist had lied under oath during his 1987 libel case against the Daily Star over allegations he had had sex with a prostitute.

On the eve of his release, the disgraced peer thanked his family and members of the public for their support during his imprisonment.

He is waiting to discover whether he will keep the right to sit in the House of Lords after calls for rules changes relating to convicted criminals.

The government is being asked to close a loophole allowing peers who have been convicted of a criminal charge and jailed for more than a year to resume their seats.

Archer must live in premises approved by his supervisor.

Archer, 63, is understood to have requested that his multi-million pound London address be registered as his home, although he will also want to be able to spend time at his house in Grantchester, where his wife normally lives.

Penal reform

In Archer's statement on Sunday night, he said: "I want to thank my wife Mary and my sons, William and James, for their unwavering and unstinting support during this unhappy period in my life.

"I should also like to thank the many friends who took the trouble to visit me in prison, as well as countless members of the public who sent letters, cards and gifts."

While he said he would not be giving interviews in the "foreseeable future," Archer confirmed he would be addressing the Howard League for Penal Reform's conference at New College Oxford in September.

He also said he had accepted several requests to do charity auctions in the run-up to Christmas.