THE wife of a man missing for more than two weeks is to make a pilgrimage to the park he once loved.

Corin Martin’s husband John disappeared from their home on February 15 and is probably in Maidstone, where he spent many of his early years.

One of his favourite spots as a youngster was Mote Park, where he often went during time spent in children’s homes in the town.

Now, Mrs Martin will return to the park to put up posters in the hope someone may have seen him.

Mrs Martin said: "John was given some tablets to help him give up smoking before Christmas and as soon as he started taking them he became unbearable. From a bloke that had been easy-going, he turned really strange.

"We are a close couple because neither of us have great family histories. On the Friday he disappeared he came home in the morning and he was really moany and I told him to shut up and stop moaning.

"In the 11 years we’ve been married I have never walked out, because I’ve always felt he couldn’t take that because of his childhood but that day I went to a friend’s house to cool down. I think he thought I’d left him."

When Mrs Martin returned to the home they shared in the New Forest, her husband, a cabbie, had gone.

Mrs Martin fears that medication her husband was put on shortly before he vanished may have brought back unpleasant memories of his difficult childhood.

Mr Martin was born in the South Park Road area, which backs onto the park, and was taken into the care of social services in the early 1960s.

Mrs Martin added: "Although his childhood was difficult, he did have many happy memories and many were connected to the time he spent in the park."

After being taken into care he lived in a Barnardo’s children’s home in the County Town before being sent to homes in Charing, near Ashford, Deal, Sandwich and nearby Eastry.

Mrs Martin added: "We are really certain that he’s in Kent, and probably in Maidstone, but time is passing and we are now becoming extremely worried. He obviously has issues relating to his childhood, but we thought we’d worked through them and he was looking forwards, not backwards."

The disappearance is very out of character, especially as one of the father-of-three’s daughters is due to get married in just a few months.

John is 5ft 8ins, stocky but not fat, with a round face. He was wearing a black and grey Animal top when he went missing. It is possible he is sleeping rough.

If you think you have seen Mr Martin contact Hampshire Police on 0845 0454545 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.