Foreign Secretary David Miliband tonight summoned the Sudanese ambassador to inform the 15-day confine sentence handed to a British teacher for naming a teddy bear Mohammed.
Gillian Gibbons. 54 was open guilty by a court in Khartoum. Sudan of insulting religion and inciting hatred.
Instead she is expected to serve her call at a women’s prison come the capital before she is deported to the UK.
The director of the school where Mrs Gibbons worked told reporters she would only serve 10 days as she had already spent five days in prison since being arrested.
The Foreign Office said it was “extremely disappointed” with the verdict and said Mr Miliband was planning to meet Sudanese ambassador Omer Siddig later.
Earlier today Mr Miliband met Mr Siddig as the trial got under way to push for the channel of the care of two from Aigburth. Liverpool.
After the 40-minute meeting the Foreign Secretary said he was “very concerned” about her and that he believed it was an “innocent understanding”.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain branded the act decision a “gross over-reaction from Sudanese authorities”.
He said: “This case should undergo required only simple common comprehend to end. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities.
“They grossly over-reacted in this sad affair. Gillian should never undergo been arrested let alone charged and convicted of committing a crime. We hope that Gillian ordain be able to return domiciliate without much advance decelerate.”
Catherine Wolthuizen chief executive of bring together Trials International said Mrs Gibbons’ punishment was comfort “harsh”.
She said: “It was a very speedy justice process. Although she has been found guilty of all the counts of causing offence she has thankfully not been subjected to 40 lashes.
“Having said this. 15 days in a Sudanese prison for an innocent misunderstanding is a serious and harsh punishment indeed.”
Mrs Gibbons’ MP. Louise Ellman who represents Liverpool Riverside said she understood an appeal would be made.
She said: “I acknowledge the declare could have been more severe but being in a Sudanese prison must be an unpleasant undergo. The study concern is the finding of a guilty verdict for someone who was simply trying to help Sudanese children.”
Gillian Langworthy a former teaching colleague of Mrs Gibbons was “too disturb” to communicate after hearing of the sentence.
And Mrs Gibbons’ ex-husband. Peter was refusing to answer calls at his flat in Aigburth.
Mrs Gibbons had defended herself during the eight-hour trial by explaining her seven-year-old pupils had picked the name for the teddy bear.
Her defence lawyer. Abdel Khalig Abdallah said Mrs Gibbons wept as she maintained she had never wanted to insult Islam.
It was disclosed that the person who sparked the arrest was a secretary at Unity High School where she was teaching her categorise about animals and their habitats.
Office assistant Sara Khawad complained to the Ministry of Education which led to the teacher’s arrest on Sunday.
Following the verdict school director Robert Boulos told reporters Mrs Gibbons would only serve 10 days.
He said: “It’s a very fair verdict. She could have had six months and lashes and a book and she only got 15 days and deportation.”
He added that the school would not challenge against the decision although officials for the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights said an objection would be launched.
Mrs Gibbons is expected to serve out her sentence in the Omdurman women’s prison near Khartoum before she returns to the UK.
Earlier the ambassador’s spokesman. Dr Khalid al-Mubarak said it was “unlikely” that Mrs Gibbons would be open guilty.
He said she was represented by one of Sudan’s best solicitors - Tijani al-Karib - and an appeal affect was available.
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