Family’s joy as Yapton war hero found safe

Tony, of Station Road, Yapton, vanished on December 23, while on a trip to see his estranged wife and children.

However, news broke this week that the 47-year-old Army veteran – who suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – had been safe inside a medical clinic in Karlsruhe.

His brother Kenny, of Giles Close, Yapton, said: “It’s a huge relief. It’s like a massive weight has been lifted off us.”

Tony had been in the care of the German hospital since December 23 after he was picked up by German police in nearby Offenburg.

Kenny wished to thank everyone for their help in finding his brother.

However, he criticised German police for its ‘ineffective search’.

“They were meant to be checking with nearby clinics. They clearly didn’t do this,” he said.

Kenny is now appealing for more help to treat veterans and uniformed service personnel who suffer from PTSD.

“You’re going to get the biggest influx of people in the next two years with boys – who served in Afghan and Iraq – finishing their term and wanting out.

“Two or three years down the line it will hit them like a ton of bricks.”

He is calling for more local clinics, staffed by former service personnel who would understand the trauma, first-hand, that many soldiers would have gone through on duty.