Hopes of Freedom for Gillian

HOPES were raised yesterday that British teacher Gillian Gibbons could soon be freed from jail in Sudan.

British Muslim peers Lord Ahmed and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi met with Gillian yesterday and are also due to meet Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in Khartoum.

A Sudanese government spokesman said the visit by the two Muslim Lords could help free Gillian.

He said: “They have a series of meetings lined up. An appeal from a fellow Muslim could have an impact.”

Mrs Gibbons, from Liverpool, was jailed for 15 days for allowing her students at Unity High School in Khartoum to name a class teddy bear Mohammed.

The sentence sparked protests from Islamic hardliners, calling for her execution. For her own safety, Mrs Gibbons, 54, has been moved to a secret location.

Her sentence runs out on Sunday, December 9.

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