Douglas: 'Son will start afresh in prison'

Michael Douglas has said that his son's recent jail sentence is a blessing in disguise.

Cameron Douglas was recently sentenced to five years in jail over his role in a drug deal operation.

A judge ordered Cameron to also pay $25,000 (£16,228) in fines and serve 450 hours of community service.

"My son has not been sober for this length of time since he was 13 years old," the elder Douglas told the Today show on Monday.

"So he was going to be dead or somebody was gonna kill him, and I think he has a chance to start a new life and he knows that. And from my understanding, it's going to take that amount of time for him to rebuild and start himself afresh."

The Oscar winner also said that his son is a "great young man" and that he plans to continue supporting him throughout his prison stint.