Husband held over Moroccan’s death

A man has been arrested in connection with the suspicious death of his estranged Moroccan wife, who was found dead in a pool of blood at her Mġarr home on Tuesday.

Investigators at first believed Meryem Bugeja, 40, who was pregnant, died after hitting her head to a wardrobe. An autopsy, however, revealed another two deep wounds in her skull and the investigation took a new direction.

Police sources said investigators believe the wounds were caused by a blunt object.

The woman was found at about 8pm after members of the Civil Protection Department entered her house through an open window. The alarm had been raised by her husband, whom the police now consider to be a prime suspect.

Earlier in the afternoon, her two children had arrived home from school at about 2.45 pm but did not enter the house because no one answered their knocks.

At about 4.30pm, their father, who had made plans to pick them up, arrived and found the children sitting on the doorstep.

At about 7pm he drove back to Mġarr to drop the children off. When Ms Bugeja did not answer the door, he raised the alarm with the police.

Sources said the couple had been separated for at least two years and the man did not have access to her house.

He told the police that the blood sugar levels of Ms Bugeja, who was diabetic, probably dropped and she hit her head against the wardrobe. A number of insulin syringes were found near her body.

However, when news of her dead body emerged on Tuesday evening, police sources said the man was “suspiciously calm”.