The man who has spent most of the last decade living in a cave, is relieved his six-month stint behind bars is over.

‘’I’m happy to be out,’’ the man largely known as Little John, but who is also known as John Black or John Russell Tingle, said.

He made national headlines last year, after a Stuff story revealed that he had lived in a cave, on and off, for over a decade, just near the township of Outram, near Dunedin.

His alternative lifestyle included DIY dentistry and cooking cannabis pizza. But it was the arson of ‘’a rat infested, mouldy, stinking, bullet-ridden hovel’’, which led to a new-alternative: a 12-month prison sentence.

Little John, who was released last Wednesday, said he expected to get a community-based sentence after other options such as home detention for a cave dweller were deemed not suitable.

But despite an early guilty plea, his lack of remorse meant ‘’the judge had to throw the book at me’’.

‘’It was a shock,’’ the 59-year-old said of losing his freedom.

That led to him and his sole bag of possessions being taken to Otago Corrections Facility, in Milburn south of Dunedin, where he spent four nights inside the rubber-coated Intervention and Support Unit.

Those first few nights, Little John cried repeatedly, sleeping on the floor next to a crack under the door, as the air was reminiscent to that of his cave.

He said prison life was ‘’scary’’ at first, but he praised the care of the guards, some of whom knew of his high-profile background.

‘’Prisoners are a mixed bunch. Obviously, some of them are horrendous and some of them are normal people.

He was relieved to later get his own cell, and a small window near where the ‘’ducks sh..’’.

Little John said, apart from his vices, he had kept a healthy lifestyle living in his cave and shunning modern comforts.

‘’But I did suffer serious withdrawal symptoms from tobacco, cannabis and alcohol, which are my three vices.’’

Inside prison, he started to appreciate some different comforts, including having access to a shower and medical care and treatment.

After several weeks, he was transferred to Rolleston Prison and spent the remainder under minimum security.

It was there where he received his first regular benefit, in this case $2.70 a week paid to prisoners, but he elected not to use it.

‘’It is funny money.’’

Nor did he touch the $200 deposited in his account from his father, ‘’I didn’t want the prisoners to know that I had money because they would have stood over me for it’’.

But the regular meals, coupled with sleeping more and the reduction in his outdoor lifestyle meant he put on 15kg over those six months.

Little John said he enjoyed those regular meals, but realised he might be the exception.

‘’If I went from a normal household to prison, I would complain bitterly, but coming from the cave to three squares, PJs, bunk, and buddies… it was plenty.’’

He enjoyed having access to the prison library, and it was only 12 weeks in when he used the television in his room for the first time.

Little John said he counted down his time – all 28 weeks – by ‘fish’, because when prisoners were served fish for dinner each Friday.

‘’It went pretty slow.’’

On his release he was told that some people had ransacked his camp, near the cave, where he used to cook, including his pizzas.

‘’People have tidied-up the camp and cleaned-up some of the vandal’s damage.’’

Little John said he had enjoyed returning to his cave, particularly with the warmer temperatures.

But one thing he was missing was his ‘cave woman’, a nod to his relationship that started not long before he was incarcerated. That budding relationship is on hold after she too was jailed on another matter.

Little John said he would love to meet the law students he talked to shortly before his sentencing, as he told them he was going to get a community-based sentence.

‘’If I knew I was going to go away, I wouldn’t have been so happy.’’