Gillian Gibbons, the teacher jailed in Sudan for allowing her students name a teddy bear Mohammed arrived in Britain on Tuesday morning after being pardoned and said she was sorry to leave the country and never imagined this would happen, according to news reports.

I am very sorry to leave Sudan. I had a fabulous time there. It has been an ordeal but I was well treated in prison and everyone was very kind to me, said Gibbons according to Times Online. She arrived at around 0705 GMT in Heathrow and was reunited with her son John and daughter Jessica.

Gibbons (54) was sentenced to 15 days in jail in Sudan for insulting the Islam. On Monday, Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir granted her a presidential pardon after holding talks with two British peers, Lord Nazir Ahmed and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.

Speaking about Sudan, Gibbons said It is a beautiful place and I had a chance to see some of the countryside. The Sudanese people I found to be extremely kind and generous and until this happened I only had a good experience.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was delighted and relieved to hear Gibbons had been pardoned and freed. Britian has had strained relations with Sudan for several years due to the conflict in Darfur.

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