The estranged husband of Elgin woman Arlene Fraser, who vanished five weeks ago, yesterday broke his silence to appeal for help in finding her.

Mr Nat Fraser, 37, who is on bail facing a charge of attempting to murder his wife weeks before her disappearance, has put up #10,000, as have her family, to offer a #20,000 reward for information about her whereabouts.

The case has baffled Grampian Police who, because of the total lack of information since April 28, fear she may have been murdered.

''Arlene, if you are watching this please get in touch - the children are missing you terribly,'' Mr Fraser, a fruit wholesaler, pleaded yesterday.

''If you do not want to come home, please let us know you are all right. I have no idea what has happened.''

Police had to seek special permission to allow the conference to go ahead.

Mr Fraser said: ''I have no idea where Arlene is or what has happened to her. I have been in a terrible state since she disappeared.''

Asked if he feared the worst for her safety, Mr Fraser said : ''I try to put that one to the back of my head. Do I cope? I don't know. Everyone in the family is under pressure.''

Mr Fraser has been staying with his business partner in Lhanbryde since March as part of his bail conditions. He said he had last seen his wife a week before her disappearance when she had talked about the children.

Asked how they were coping, Mr Fraser said: ''I am trying to keep them shielded, but my wee lad is 10 and knows there is something wrong. We have to try everything to get their mum back.''

Mrs Fraser, 33, a student of office technology at Moray College, was last seen by her children when she waved Jamie, 10, and Natalie, five, off to school at 8.50am on Tuesday, April 28, from their home in Smith Street, New Elgin.

She did not keep various appointments and the unlocked house was left ''as if she had just popped out to the shops''.

The towelling dressing gown she was wearing when she waved her children goodbye was found in her home.

Jamie had been chosen to represent New Elgin Primary school in an environmental campaign and was travelling to Inverness that day and Mrs Fraser phoned at around 9.10am to find out when he would be returning. The school called her back about 30 minutes later, but there was no reply.

Hundreds of people have been interviewed during the inquiry, headed by Detective Inspector Peter Simpson, who said: ''We are hearing that the majority of people in Elgin seem to consider that Arlene has disappeared and will just turn up in the fullness of time. From my point of view, I do not see that happening.''

Police have admitted that the attempted murder charge hanging over Mr Fraser ''obviously has a bearing on the inquiry'', but emphasise that he has been helping with their inquiries, which have now extended into England, where Mrs Fraser's father, Mr Hector McInnes, lives.

Mr McInnes, 57, from Leyland, near Preston, said: ''I sincerely hope we have to give the reward money to somebody.

''If Arlene was in Scotland and was able to come forward she would, so there's a slim hope, a glimmer, that she's in England.

''The police have been doing a tremendous job, and this reward money, with our other options exhausted, raises our hopes. But it looks pretty bleak.''

The possibility of featuring the mystery in their programme is being considered by BBC's Crimewatch UK.

The couple's two children were initially cared for by Mrs Fraser's relatives in their home until their maternal grandmother, Isabelle Thompson, took them to stay with her in Hamilton.

She applied for their interim custody, but this was challenged by Mr Fraser and rather than subject the children to further hardship, Mrs Thompson allowed the children to return to their Elgin home to stay with Mr Fraser's parents.