Wanted man held

The British police have arrested the German man, tracked down in Malta, in connection with the death of his wife, whose body was discovered in a wheelie bin in Surrey.

Peter Wallner, 33, who voluntarily flew to the UK when he heard that the Surrey police were looking for him, was arrested the minute he landed at Gatwick Airport, soon after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, after the body was identified as that of his missing wife, Melanie.

The British police had launched a manhunt for Mr Wallner and Lilia Fenech, 23, after the badly-decomposed body of a woman was found in the bin outside their former residence in Hamilton Avenue, Cobham, on Saturday.

Ms Fenech and her father, Martin, denied that she or Mr Wallner, who she insisted was her husband, were involved in the murder.

When contacted on Wednesday, Mr Fenech defended his daughter and contested reports describing her as Mr Wallner's lover. He insisted his daughter was married to Mr Wallner and that his previous wife had died three years ago.

When news of Mr Wallner's arrest emerged yesterday, Ms Fenech, who sounded upset, refused to confirm whether he had been arrested saying "it might or might not be", refusing to reply to further questions.

The police in Surrey said an autopsy established the woman had suffered a serious head injury but the exact cause of death could not be determined. Initially, the police had difficulty determining her identity because the body was in an advanced state of decomposition.

It was only yesterday that the Surrey police identified her as Mr Wallner's wife, in her early 30s, through her dental records. They immediately informed her relatives.

Following Mr Wallner's arrest, the police said they no longer needed Ms Fenech for questioning. Her details had been circulated because they wanted to track down Mr Wallner, a spokesman for the Surrey police said, never referring to Ms Fenech as his wife.

The couple had packed their belongings in a white rental Volkswagen van and drove across the English Channel to Malta. The Surrey police had appealed for information about the couple and their van, which was tracked down in San Ġwann on Tuesday evening.

Mrs Wallner would have been 32 on November 10 last year but it remains unclear when she died exactly. She was born in South Africa but lived for many years in the UK, the Surrey police said.

They called on anybody who knew her to make contact, especially those who had seen her since August 2006.

"I am now asking for people's help in building a picture of the last years of her life. Specifically, I would like to hear from anyone we haven't yet spoken to who has seen Melanie since August 2006 or people who knew her well shortly before this date," Detective Chief Inspector Maria Woodall said.

The Surrey police received different accounts from the victim's family, friends and neighbours about her recent history. Some had thought she moved away from Surrey in the last few years and others believed she could have died in 2006.

Forensic experts continued searching for clues and officers have extended their house-to-house enquires.