Terry Embleton, the British man who disappeared from hospital two weeks ago, turned himself in this morning to help the police in cannabis-related investigations.
He arrived at the police headquarters accompanied by his wife Kerry at around 9 a.m.
Mrs Embleton yesterday told The Times:
“Whether in prison or here (home), he’ll be safe... and when he comes home he’ll be coming home to me and our son. We call him our son but he’s our dog, Smuge. He’ll be coming home a free man not having to look over his shoulder.” She was relieved that she finally knows her husband is well and alive.
Mrs Embleton admitted last week she was worried sick at her husband’s disappearance. She had not heard from him since December 14 when he disappeared from Mater Dei Hospital after he was taken there by the police after complaining of chest pains. He had been arrested the previous day following a raid at their Qawra home.
The police had said they had arrested three people – the couple and a Maltese man – in connection with the find, which included 74 small packets of cannabis and a single ecstasy pill.
They later added that Mr Embleton had been released from arrest once he was taken to hospital. They went to check on him in hospital and discovered he had walked out. The police still wanted to speak to him about the drugs find.
On Monday night, Mr Embleton phoned her to let her know he was fine and that he would turn himself in. However, Mrs Embleton said he did not tell her where he was because he did not want to get her into trouble with the police.
She had only learnt about her husband’s disappearance from hospital two weeks ago when she received a text message from the investigating police officer accusing her of helping a fugitive.
The police were expecting Mr Embleton at their headquarters in Floriana today after they were informed about his plans by their lawyer, Mrs Embleton said.
“Thank God he’s alive,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I gave him a shouting at... I told him when I get my hands on him I’m going to kill him... But... I can’t be angry for the love that I’ve got inside me for him and I can understand his fear...
“I haven’t seen him but, from his voice, and I know him very well, he’s absolutely starving and cold now and just wants to get it all sorted out,” she said.
Her husband is aware he will face imprisonment. But after consulting with their lawyer the couple hope the courts will understand he was not involved in drug trafficking.
“There was no money, he wasn’t selling... It was just him being an idiot... 74 packets... Terry could smoke in two days,” she said.
The couple first met in the late 1990s in the UK but at the time she did not like his rough mannerisms. In 2005, when they met again, he had changed his ways. They came to Malta in 2007 and got married in July 2008 in Valletta.
“We originally came here to visit my parents and get married but we never went back. We wanted to get married in a country that felt the same as we did. We never want to be apart and the country wouldn’t allow us to divorce,” she said.
Since the arrest, Mrs Embleton said he had been struggling to make ends meet. She moved out of their Qawra apartment because she could not afford the rent and is living with a relative. She is also looking for a job but, so far, unsuccessfully.
She engaged a lawyer in an effort to get their car released from police custody so she can sell it. She said she would be paying the lawyer in monthly instalments.