Support pours in for Icacos couple

AFTER a Newsday story on how they met and the challenges they faced was published, Emmanuel Clarke says there has been an outpouring of support for him and his common-law wife Lalitha Tambie.

The story, Finding life, love behind bars, published on Sunday, told how Clarke spent nearly three years in prison for crimes he was charged with committing in Trinidad in 2014 while he was on an inter-island ferry.

He explained how prisoners can access cell phones, which was how he found Tambie, after accidentally sending $20 to her instead of a fellow prisoner. After they got together, Tambie's family kicked her out of her Cedros home.

The two now live on the shore of the Coral Point beach in Icacos in a one-room, wooden house.

Clarke is in the process of suing the State for wrongful arrest.

Speaking with Newsday on Monday morning, Clarke said their phones haven’t stopped ringing. Many people have been calling them to offer sympathy or to wish them well, while others have offered help.

“People from as far as Canada called me. Somebody from Switzerland even called me! Switzerland! She said she saw the article on Facebook.

“A lady from Tobago offered me a house to live in and said she has acres of land and that I could work in the fields.

"Another woman who said she does donations said she will visit and bring some foodstuff for us.”

He said someone who is experiencing a similar situation with a family member also reached out. A member of that person’s family was charged with a crime even though he was at home at the time it happened, which left the family confused.

Those who wish to contact the couple can do so by calling 303-4995 or 366-7007.