Elaine Moore was disappointed that the fax from the Crown Prosecution Service announcing her release did not include an apology. It arrived at the office of her solicitor, Ms Gareth Peirce, at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
"It was pure business format," she told RTE Radio's Today with Pat Kenny. "There was no apology, no nothing. It just said basically that both charges had been dropped due to insufficient evidence and that I would no longer be required to appear in court on the 15th of this month and that I was free to go."
Ms Moore said she feared the worst when Ms Peirce phoned her asking her to come to her office. "I got a bit worried - it was late in the evening.
"I went into the office and Gareth said `I think you should sit down for this' and I thought `Oh Lord, what are you going to do to me next'. She had a fax in front of her and she just said `You're going home. It's all over, you're going home'."
When she was told by Ms Peirce that the charges were dropped there was "screaming shouting and crying by the two of us" and she then telephoned her mother, Mrs Cathy Moore, to tell her that she was coming home. Ms Peirce suggested she fly back to Ireland immediately, but Ms Moore wanted to stay in London to say goodbye to friends. "The amount of letters, cards and wellwishers I had was just fantastic."
Detention had disrupted her career. "About three weeks before I was arrested I was promoted to accounts manager. My career was really setting off.
"I swear I don't think I'll ever leave Ireland again. Even going on a two-week holiday will be a fierce hard thing to do. I don't think I'll be leaving for a long time."
Speaking later on RTE television, Ms Moore said in Holloway Prison the strip searches were "awful" but the staff had treated her quite well and some of them had said they hoped she would get bail.