Lil' Kim to be released early

Lil' Kim is set to be released from a US prison three months early after serving a sentence for federal perjury.

The rapper, who has been serving a 366-day prison sentence since September 19, will be released from Philadelphia Federal Detention Centre on Monday due to good behaviour, reports mtv.com.

Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, will remain under house arrest for a 30-day period and she will be on probation for three years.

She said in a statement: "I am thrilled to be coming home. I thank all my fans for all their letters, as well as my family and friends for all their support throughout the past 10 months."

The rapper was convicted on three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy in March 2005 in connection with the trial of a 2001 shooting incident which left one man shot in the back after five men fired 22 bullets outside New York's Hot 97 radio station.

She maintained throughout the trial that Damion Butler, one of her co-managers at the time of the incident, was not by her side when shots rang out in front of the radio station. But security-camera footage later proved that he was.

Kim had also told the court she was unable to positively identify a photo of another man who was believed to be involved in the shooting.

Both the man in question, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a member of her former group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and Butler later confessed they were there and pleaded guilty to gun charges as part of a plea bargain.

Other members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. also took to the stand during the trial and testified for the prosecution that they too had witnessed Butler and Jackson with Kim at the time of the shooting.document.write(unescape("