Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in a row over the naming of a teddy bear, left Sudan last night bound for the UK after being officially pardoned by the country's president.

Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in a row over the naming of a teddy bear, left Sudan last night bound for the UK after being officially pardoned by the country's president.

The Foreign Office said the 54-year-old, who was jailed for 15 days for allowing her seven-year-old pupils to call a class teddy bear Muhammad, had left Sudan but would not comment on the flight arrangements to the UK.

"I can confirm she has left Sudan," said Omar Daair, spokesman for Sudanese President Omar al Bashir.

Mrs Gibbons was believed to be on an Emirates flight with a stopover in Dubai before heading to London early today.

The mother of two, from Aigburth, Liverpool, was freed after an official pardon from President al Bashir.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Mrs Gibbons was in "remarkably good spirits".

The dramatic move came after 48 hours of difficult negotia- tions between British parliamentarians Lord Ahmed of Rotherham and Baroness Warsi and officials in Khartoum.

Mr Miliband said he hoped that people in Sudan had realised that common sense needed to prevail.