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Wife 'tells of canoeist's return' Canoeist 'lived at family home'
(about 7 hours later)
A man presumed dead in a canoe accident in 2002 reappeared at his family home less than a year later, according to a newspaper interview with his wife. The wife of a man presumed drowned in a 2002 canoe accident has said he lived in part of the family home for three years after being declared dead.
Anne Darwin, 55, tells the Daily Mirror she did not recognise John Darwin, 57, when he arrived at their Teesside home as he looked to have been living rough. Anne Darwin said her husband hid in a bedsit in a house they owned next door when family or friends visited to prevent them discovering the truth.
She says he put her under pressure to continue the pretence he was dead so they could claim his life insurance. John Darwin, 57, vanished from the Hartlepool area in March 2002.
Mr Darwin is being questioned by Cleveland Police on suspicion of fraud. He walked into a police station last week claiming amnesia and is now being questioned on suspicion of fraud.
They have been granted an extra 36 hours to question him. Cleveland Police have been granted an extra 36 hours to question him and may apply for a further extension if necessary.
Detectives say Mr Darwin, who reappeared last weekend, has been "putting forward some sort of account" of his actions. Police also want to speak to Mrs Darwin, 55, who sold the family home in Seaton Carew and moved to Panama six weeks ago.
Pictured in Panama She is thought to be in Miami but expected to return to the UK this weekend.
Police also want to speak to Mrs Darwin, who is thought to be in Miami but who may now return to the UK. 'Hid in bedsit'
On Wednesday, a photo emerged showing Mr and Mrs Darwin together in the central American state of Panama in 2006. Mrs Darwin told reporters her husband plotted his Reggie Perrin-style disappearance to escape debts "in the tens of thousands".
Mrs Darwin admitted to newspapers that the picture was genuine but said she had acted in good faith when cashing in her husband's life insurance after he was declared dead by a coroner in 2003. "John said there was only one way out of the situation, and that was to fake his death. I pleaded with him not to do it, I said it was the wrong thing to do," she said.
Mr Darwin walked into a London police station on 1 December, more than five years after going missing off Seaton Carew, his hometown, near Hartlepool, in March 2002, in what was believed to be a canoeing tragedy. They were tortured. And yes, it was hard to keep up the front. I so wanted to tell them but I was in too deep Anne Darwin
Under the current extension, Mr Darwin can be held in custody until late on Saturday night. Officers can then apply for an additional 24 hours, after which time they must charge or release him. Mrs Darwin maintains she did not know he had gone ahead with the scam until he turned up on her doorstep in Seaton Carew 11 months after going missing, looking like he had been "living rough".
She claimed he threatened to say she was involved from the start if she reported him.
"He lived at the house with me for three years. We lived as man and wife," she added.
Mr Darwin was declared dead by a coroner in 2003.
Mrs Darwin has previously said she claimed on his life insurance "in good faith" but has now told reporters she knew he was alive before the pay out.
'Missed sons'
She said he lived with her in the main family home most of the time and hid in a small bedsit in a house they owned next door when guests or their two sons, Anthony and Mark, visited.
The lure of PanamaThe lure of Panama
Chief Inspector Andy Greenwood, said on Friday that police had received calls from North and South America, mainland Europe and "all over the world" in response to his appeal for information about Mr Darwin. "They were tortured. And yes, it was hard to keep up the front. I so wanted to tell them but I was in too deep, how could I possibly explain to them that I'd known their father was alive?" she told journalists.
Cleveland Police have also said they want to speak to an angler who told the Sun newspaper he had met Mr Darwin while fishing in Cornwall 18 months ago. Both sons have said they want nothing more to do with their mother or father.
Ch Insp Greenwood would not confirm whether Mrs Darwin was being treated as a witness or a suspect at this stage.
He said: "If Anne would like to speak to me then I would certainly be keen to speak to her. I'm certainly not going to be chasing Mrs Darwin round the country."
'Large scam'
On Friday Mrs Darwin was quoted in both the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail as saying she had been living her life "as a lie, constantly looking over my shoulder".
The couple's sons, Anthony and Mark, who both recently left their jobs, have said they want nothing more to do with their mother or father.
They insist they did not know their father was alive and say they are furious at being made the victims of what they describe as a "large scam".They insist they did not know their father was alive and say they are furious at being made the victims of what they describe as a "large scam".
Mrs Darwin sold the family home in Seaton Carew and moved to Panama six weeks ago. Mr and Mrs Darwin later bought an apartment in Panama and she moved there seven weeks ago after selling up in England. But he had to come back because he could not remain without a visa and missed their sons, according to reports.
She is reported to have said that it was a joint decision to go to Panama and when she arrived there, her husband was waiting for her. Police say they have received calls from "all over the world" after appealing for information about Mr Darwin.
Have you met John and Anne Darwin? Did you know Anne in Panama? What is your reaction to this story? Have you ever "disappeared" for a time? Send us your comments by filling in the form below.Have you met John and Anne Darwin? Did you know Anne in Panama? What is your reaction to this story? Have you ever "disappeared" for a time? Send us your comments by filling in the form below.
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