The mother who was jailed for not allowing her ex-husband access to their teenage son may not necessarily lose her job as a teacher in a State school, according to a spokesman for the Public Service Commission.

The commission would not make any recommendation before giving the woman the opportunity to present her case

The commission will give the 57-year-old woman the opportunity to make her case and keep in mind the particular circumstances, he said.

The appeal court’s decision to jail the woman for three months caused uproar, with the public joining forces through a petition, to ask that she is granted a presidential pardon.

The National Council of Women is backing the petition and said it was “shocked” by the “extreme penalty” – the maximum allowed by law – handed down to the woman.

During a vigil held on Wednesday night outside prison, where the woman is serving time, people present also called on the authorities to ensure the woman did not lose her job.

A spokesman for the Public Service Commission said that, as a general rule, a public service employee sentenced to imprisonment was dismissed from employment.

“However, the Public Service Commission carefully deliberates on each case, taking into account the specific circumstances and the particular merits of that case, before it decides what action to recommend to the Prime Minister,” the spokesman told The Sunday Times.

He said the commission would not make any recommendation before giving the woman the opportunity to present her case.

“The commission would give a decision by the President the weight and respect that it deserves,” he said.

Last week the woman wrote to President George Abela asking him to issue a pardon as allowed by the Constitution of Malta.

The President forwarded it to Justice Minister Chris Said “for his consideration and advice”.

Speaking during the talk show Xarabank on Friday, Dr Said said Cabinet will be discussing the request tomorrow.

Requests made by people already in prison were given priority, he said.

A petition, asking for the pardon, is also being circulated and will be presented to the President over the next few days. Another petition is being circulated on Facebook.

After the appeals court confirmed the original three-month jail term, the woman’s son, who was 16 at the time, told The Sunday Times that his mother never told him not to visit his father and called on the courts to listen to children.

In a separate interview the father said he believed his ex-wife deserved what she got as she kept refusing him access to his son out of revenge.

Throughout the court case, the mother insisted she never told her son not to spend time with his father.