The mother who was granted a presidential pardon over a child access case will be returning to her teaching job today.

“I’m looking forward to going back… I’ll have to catch up with the syllabus but it’s alright… Since I got out of prison I’ve had nothing but support, hugs and kisses,” the 57-year-old English teacher said yesterday.

The woman risked losing her job at a state school secondary school after she was jailed for three months for repeatedly failing to give her former husband access to their teenage son.

She yesterday attended a sitting of the Public Service Commission that had to decide whether or not she would be allowed to keep her job.

As a general rule, a public ­service employee sentenced to imprisonment is dismissed from employment. However, the commission decides each case on its own merit.

During the sitting, the woman, through her lawyer, Ludvic Caruana, made her case to the commission and later said she was told she could return to work this morning.

This was confirmed by a commission spokesman who said: “After considering the case in the presence of the employee herself, the commission has decided that she may resume her work with immediate effect.”

The woman walked out of jail on Monday evening after the presidential pardon was communicated to the prison authorities. She went straight home where she was welcomed by her son.

“He’s taller than me and hugged me tightly,” she said.

Throughout the court case over the visitation rights, the woman had insisted that she never told her son, then 16, not to spend time with his father. He was old enough to make up his own mind.

After his mother’s incarceration, the boy confirmed this with The Times adding that the court should have listened to him more.

When the woman was jailed by the appeal court, on September 27, the news caused a public outcry as people objected to the harsh punishment – the maximum allowed by law for such cases.

A petition was raised asking that she is granted a presidential pardon and a night vigil was also held outside the Paola prison. The public also called on the authorities to ensure the woman did not lose her job.

The woman too filed a request for a pardon, which President George Abela upheld on the recommendation of the Attorney General and the Cabinet.

Dr Abela said he was convinced his decision was the right one because it was guided by the woman’s son, who is almost18 today.

The President said he hoped to have led by example, stressing that the courts ought to give more weight to the voice of children in such cases – something that the Children’s Commissioner has long been harping on about.