The woman recently granted a presidential pardon after she was jailed for three months for denying her ex-husband access to their son, is at risk of ending up in prison again unless she receives a second pardon.

Teacher was found guilty of breaching a separate court ruling related to access to her son

The 57-year-old teacher was sentenced to serve a one-month prison term last March after she was found guilty of breaching a separate court ruling related to access to her son.

She appealed against the one-month jail term and has now asked President George Abela to grant another pardon before the Appeal Court hears the case.

In a formal request for the second presidential pardon, lawyer Ludvic Caruana said his client “sincerely felt” that once the Attorney General had recommended the pardon the first time, the same recommendation should be made this time as the charges were “identical”.

A few days after the decision she filed an appeal arguing, as she did in the other case, that her son, who was then 16, did not go to his father out of his own will and she could not force him to.

In the pardon request Dr Caruana said there was nothing stopping the President from issuing the pardon at this stage, since the appeal hearing had not yet started.

On October 15 the President had signed a writ endorsing a Cabinet decision to pardon the woman following the recommendation of the Attorney General.

The woman, a teacher at a State school, had been behind bars since September 27 when the Court of Appeal upheld a magistrate’s decision jailing her for three months for failing to give her ex-husband access on 13 occasions in December 2010 and January 2011.

During the appeal she insisted she had never told her son not to spend time with his father. He was old enough to make a decision.

Speaking to The Times shortly after the decision, the boy said his mother never forced him not to go to this father and she did not deserve to be jailed for three months – the maximum punishment.

The story led to a huge public outcry before a petition was mounted requesting a presidential pardon. A night vigil was also held outside the Corradino Correctional Facility while she was in prison. The woman also filed a formal pardon request that was eventually upheld.

However, on hearing about the pardon the woman’s ex-husband said he was “disgusted” and “deeply hurt”.

Speaking to The Times after granting the pardon Dr Abela had said the law courts should give more weight to children’s voices, adding he had spoken to the son before reaching his decision.

The son had also said he felt he should have been heard by the court. After turning 18 last Thursday, he told The Sunday Times he was happy in the knowledge that any custody commitments between his parents would evaporate forever.