Lil Wayne Begins Prison Sentence

RAPPER LIL WAYNE was taken off in handcuffs yesterday to start a 12-month jail sentence in New York - after admitting having a loaded 40-calibre semi-automatic gun on his tour bus.

The 27-year-old Grammy Award-winning star, born DWAYNE CARTER, could be released in eight months with good behaviour.

His lawyer will ask for him to be kept in "protective custody" for his own "safety and health"