Andrius Vengalis spent nine months in prison accused of his wife's murder before the case was dropped. He tells TOM BRISTOW about the day of the tragedy and his life since then
Andrius Vengalis is sitting a few metres away from the water where his wife died.
The 48-year-old factory worker pulled the lifeless body of Egle Vengaliene out of a pond at Brandon Country Park on the morning of April 9 last year.
Later that day he was arrested for murder. He wouldn’t be a free man again for nine months.
In media reports from the time and witness statements seen by this newspaper, the only piece of evidence against Mr Vengalis was a dog walker who said he saw him “pumping up and down” on his wife's body and thought he could be strangling her.
But when the witness got closer he realised Mr Vengalis was pumping her chest in an attempt to resuscitate her.
The dog walker made this clear to police in a new witness statement on April 21, 11 days after his initial statement.
He clarified that he saw Mr Vengalis on the shore desperately trying to resuscitate his wife.
However, he was not released from prison until January this year - nine months later, when prosecutors offered no evidence in the case and a not guilty verdict was recorded by Judge Martyn Levett.
At that hearing in Ipswich Crown Court, the judge said prosecutors faced “alternative scenarios” - either that Mr Vengalis “throttled and submerged his wife” or that he was “attempting to save her”.
The post-mortem could not determine whether Mrs Vengaliene was murdered, had taken her own life or whether her death was accidental.
He also said there had been material to suggest Mrs Vengaliene may have had undiagnosed mental health issues.
But by then it was too late for Mr Vengalis to save his family.
He lost his home and children who were moved to live with relatives of his wife in his native Lithuania. He has not seen them since.
Suffolk police would not comment on the case because an inquest is due to be held in January.
A spokesman said: “Egle’s death continues to be treated as a homicide inquiry by Suffolk police and as such remains an open investigation.”
MORNING DISAPPEARANCE
The day it happened, Mr Vengalis said he woke up early on the morning of Friday, April 9, and saw his wife was not next to him.
“She sometimes went out running in the morning so I thought she had gone, it was already getting light - maybe 5am or 6am," he said.
“I went to the garden and saw the back gate was open and every time I came back from work I closed it, so that is what made me worried at first.
“I started looking for her. I looked everywhere in the garden and came back to the house and looked in all the rooms.”
Unable to find her he got in his car and drove around.
“I thought ‘where else can I search?’ I came to Brandon Country Park”.
The park is a few hundred metres from the family’s home and the car park is a short walk from the pond where he found her.
“I saw my wife floating in the water. I took my coat and shoes off and I ran to pull her out.”
He pointed out a small mound where he pulled her to the water’s edge and tried to resuscitate her.
“I also started shouting, 'help, help'. I didn’t see anyone but eventually a man came over who was walking his dogs. He phoned 999.”
This is backed up by the dog walker’s statement to police.
Between them, the pair tried to resuscitate the 35-year-old and went to a nearby care home to get a defibrillator.
It didn’t take long for the police and paramedics to arrive, but there was nothing they could do for Egle.
POLICE QUESTIONS
“I don’t know what happened to her. When I was arrested the police started showing me photographs of a broken fence at the back of a neighbour’s house,” he said.
“They told me there was a cut on my wife’s neck so I thought maybe she was attacked.
"But then a witness statement from a postman said they saw her walking down the road towards the park after that. If she was attacked she would have asked for help.”
He was arrested that afternoon. “They kept extending my arrest and the officer told me a witness said he saw me drowning my wife, but later when I saw it, that is not in the witness’ statement.”
SUPERNATURAL INTEREST
The couple had been together for almost 20 years and moved to the UK from their native Lithuania eight years ago.
They had been happy but Mr Vengalis said in the last few years his wife had become interested in the supernatural.
“I told the police she had joined various groups on social media,” he said.
“They were like sects where people believe in the supernatural. She was listening every day to very hypnotic recordings - music and conversations with the deceased.
“She was interested in that for about two years before this happened; that is why I got really worried that morning when I didn’t find her.”
Mr Vengalis, who still lives in Brandon, added: “She had very strong mood swings. I didn’t really understand what was going on with her. One day she would be OK and one day worried but I thought it was to do with normal things like children and life.
“I would ask her sometimes what she was listening to and she would say I’m listening to how people can find themselves.
“My wife never spoke about suicide or mentioned that but she spoke about a journey and travelling through different dimensions.”
THE CHILDREN
The couple's five children, twins aged five and three others aged 15, nine and seven were initially taken to a friend's house the day their mother died.
Suffolk social services then became involved.
“They came to see me a few days after I was arrested and they told me that my eldest wanted to go back to Lithuania to live with his grandma,” Mr Vengalis said.
“I said no, I wanted them to live here with me in England. I knew I would get out of prison because I hadn’t done it. Then social services left and I was sent to Norwich Prison.
“In June I was visited by a man from social services in prison. He spoke about my children being in Lithuania.
"I insisted I wanted the children to stay here but he told me the children had already been taken to Lithuania. I couldn’t believe it. How was this decision made and not discussed with me?
“They released me from prison in January. I remember it was a Thursday evening and I went on Monday morning to see Suffolk social services. They said 'you can’t come in but phone this number'.
"I phoned and I had a friend with me who spoke good English. The person said this is nothing to do with me and to contact the Lithuanian embassy.
“I phoned the embassy and they said they can’t help and I should contact children’s services in Lithuania.”
He has got a solicitor in Lithuania trying to get his children back but holds out little hope.
“I’m not allowed to have any contact with them. I don’t even know where they live.
“The family members have asked for police protection against me. My wife’s family blame me for her death.
“I think they wanted to portray me as a bad father. I think from day one the children were told that I had killed their mother.”
He blames staff at the Lithuanian embassy for the way his children were taken away, but when we contacted them for comment they referred us back to Suffolk police.
Meanwhile, Mr Vengalis is trying to rebuild his life. “When I left prison I felt very emotional,” he said. “I had to start again but I didn't know where to go or what to do. I lost my home, all of my belongings were in that home.”
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