Britain pursued diplomatic moves today to free a teacher sentenced to prison in Sudan for allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammed.
Gillian Gibbons, 54, received a 15-day sentence for insulting Islam, but a judge acquitted her of inciting hatred and spared her the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.
The Foreign Office said consular staff had visited Mrs Gibbons in prison today, and she was in good health.
A spokeswoman said British officials were pursuing diplomatic contacts "both in London and in Khartoum and we continue to search for a swift resolution".
Officials said Muslim Labour peer, Lord Ahmed, would travel to Sudan to try to secure Gibbons' release. The Foreign Office said the trip was a private initiative.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with a member of Mrs Gibbons' family to convey his regret, his spokeswoman said. "He set out his concern and the fact that we were doing all we could to secure
her release," spokeswoman Emily Hands told reporters.
Many in Britain expressed shock at the verdict by a court in Khartoum, alongside hope it would not raise tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain.
"One of the good things is the UK Muslims who've condemned the charge as completely out of proportion," said Paul Wishart, 37, a student in London.
"In the past, people have been a bit upset when different atrocities have happened and there hasn't been much voice in the UK Islamic population, whereas with this, they've quickly condemned it."
Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, accused the Sudanese authorities of "gross overreaction".
"This case should have required only simple common sense to resolve. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities," he said.
The Muslim Public Affairs Committee, a political advocacy group, said the prosecution was "abominable and defies common sense".
The Federation of Student Islamic Societies, which represents 90,000 Muslim students in Britain and Ireland, called on Sudan's government to free Mrs Gibbons, saying she had not meant to cause offence.