Teddy teacher 'leaves Sudan'
British teacher Gillian Gibbons has left Sudan after winning a pardon from her 15-day jail sentence.
Mrs Gibbons is believed to be on an Emirates flight with a stopover in Dubai before heading to London early on Tuesday.
The mother of two, from Aigburth, Liverpool, was freed after an official pardon from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
"I can confirm she has left Sudan," said Omar Daair, spokesman for Mr al-Bashir.
Two leading British Muslim politicians secured her early release after meeting the President.
After speaking to the 54-year-old mother-of-two, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband welcomed president Omar al-Bashir's decision to officially pardon her.
Mrs Gibbons was finally released into the care of the British embassy after being jailed for insulting Islam.
The dramatic move came after 48 hours of difficult negotiations between Muslim peers Lord Ahmed of Rotherham and Baroness Warsi with officials in Khartoum.
Mr Miliband said: "She is in remarkably good spirits. She was a little overwhelmed by the amount of coverage she understood this case had received and proud of the way her family had stood up over the last week."
The Foreign Secretary said he wanted to thank the many diplomatic and consular staff who had helped secure her release.Crowds have gathered outside the British Embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to protest against the release of British teacher Gillian Gibbons.
Mrs Gibbons was officially pardoned after being jailed for 15 days for letting her class call a teddy bear Mohamed.
She is expected to fly home by Tuesday in the company of Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said earlier he was "delighted and relieved".
"Common-sense has prevailed," he added in a statement.
© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.








Increase fontsize
Decrease fontsize








