Bernard Ebbers, the former boss of WorldCom, has started a 25-year jail sentence for his role in the $11bn (£5.8bn) accounting fraud, which saw the company collapse into bankruptcy in 2002.

Ebbers, 65, drove himself through the gates of the Louisiana federal prison, representing an almighty fall from grace for the man who built a tiny telecommunications company into an industry giant.

A former high school basketball coach, Ebbers was sentenced in July last year after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the massive fraud at WorldCom.

Last month the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Ebbers' conviction and sentence. His attorney has said he will continue to appeal.