Film star Wesley Snipes has been released early from prison after going down for not paying tax on $37m (£24m) of earnings.

The star of the Blade trilogy and White Men Can't Jump fame was given a three year jail sentence in 2010, after a drawn out legal spat with the US tax man which began in 2006.

A former accountant Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, an anti-tax advocate convinced Snipes that he didn't owe any taxes leading him to file for refunds for millions of dollars of tax already paid, to stop paying tax he owed, and to stop filing returns.

Snipes was convicted in 2008 of federal tax evasion on earnings between 1999 and 2004, but made several appeals for wrongful conviction - including accusations of racism by the all-white jury - all of which were rejected by the court.

Upon release, the 'Demolition Man' has since been transferred from the Pennsylvanian penitentiary to a New York community corrections office and will remain under house arrest until 19 July, by when he would have served 90% of his sentence. It is understood the early release is down to good behaviour on the part of the film star.

Snipes financial advisers Rosile and Kahn were also given prison sentences, 10 and four-and-a-half years respectively, for the roles they played in the tax fraud.