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| Presumed dead man has no memory | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A canoeist who walked into a police station five years after going missing has no memory of what happened, police have said. | |
| John Darwin was presumed dead after the remains of his canoe were found washed up on a beach in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Teesside, in March 2002. | John Darwin was presumed dead after the remains of his canoe were found washed up on a beach in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Teesside, in March 2002. |
| A search at the time failed to locate Mr Darwin, then 51, who walked in to the station in London on Saturday. | |
| Cleveland Police said officers were due to speak to him later. | |
| A Cleveland Police spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that Mr Darwin has been located safe and well. | |
| "This has been a long-running inquiry on behalf of the force and officers from Hartlepool hope to speak to Mr Darwin later to establish what has happened over the past five years. | |
| ¿The family have been informed. We have no account of what has happened in the last five years. He walked into a police station and said 'I think I am a missing person.' | |
| "The guy cannot remember anything about what has happened or why he has come forward. | |
| Mr Darwin was canoeing off the coast of Hartlepool | Mr Darwin was canoeing off the coast of Hartlepool |
| "He has no memory at all. He has obviously been somewhere for the last five years and a lot of questions need answering." | |
| Mr Darwin was examined and showed no signs of illness and left the station with his two sons who live in Hampshire and Berkshire. | |
| Mr Darwin's disappearance sparked agony for his family. | |
| At the time of his disappearance Mr Darwin was working as a prison officer and the alarm was raised when he failed to arrive for a night shift. | At the time of his disappearance Mr Darwin was working as a prison officer and the alarm was raised when he failed to arrive for a night shift. |
| His wife Anne, a doctor's receptionist, said six months after her husband vanished: "People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there is something to mark the fact they existed on this earth. | His wife Anne, a doctor's receptionist, said six months after her husband vanished: "People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there is something to mark the fact they existed on this earth. |
| "But without a body, I don't know how we can mark John's life. | "But without a body, I don't know how we can mark John's life. |
| "All I want is to bury his body. It would enable me to move on. It's difficult to grieve without bringing things to a close, but as it is I'm in limbo and there's nothing I can do." | "All I want is to bury his body. It would enable me to move on. It's difficult to grieve without bringing things to a close, but as it is I'm in limbo and there's nothing I can do." |
| A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said Mr Darwin was not held in custody. | A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said Mr Darwin was not held in custody. |
| He said the Met would not be playing any further role in the investigation as Cleveland Police opened the original missing persons inquiry. | He said the Met would not be playing any further role in the investigation as Cleveland Police opened the original missing persons inquiry. |