UK teacher escapes Ethiopia jail

ADDIS ABABA, 03/07 - A British teacher has escaped jail in Ethiopia over comments she made when exposing paedophiles working at a children`s charity.

Jill and Gary Campbell helped convict the director of an orphanage run by the charity Terre Des Hommes-Lausanne.

But the charity denied the couple`s accusations it had covered up abuse.

It won a defamation case and Mrs Campbell faced six months in jail after refusing to apologise, but the charges were dropped at a hearing.

At a hearing in Addis Ababa the judge said the charity had dropped the charges and Mrs Campbell had no case to answer.

The couple had compiled a report on sexual abuse at the children`s home which led the charity to apologise and leave Ethiopia.

In 2003 orphanage director David Christie was sentenced to nine years of hard labour for abusing several young boys.

But the Campbells also accused Terre Des Hommes-Lausanne of trying to cover up the scandal, which a court said was not proved.

They were ordered to apologise, which Mrs Campbell refused to do.

Mr Campbell issued a public apology last month, then said he did so only because nobody would be able to care for their children if they both went to jail.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Campbell said: "The charity has wasted seven years pursuing us through the courts and chasing and intimidating us.

"These would have been much better spent supporting the victims and apologising to them and seeking compensation for them."