This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7136208.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Court remands canoeist in custody | Court remands canoeist in custody |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A man presumed dead in a canoeing accident has been remanded in custody. | A man presumed dead in a canoeing accident has been remanded in custody. |
| John Darwin, 57, is accused of obtaining £25,000 life insurance policy by deception and making an untrue statement to get a passport. | John Darwin, 57, is accused of obtaining £25,000 life insurance policy by deception and making an untrue statement to get a passport. |
| He spoke only to reply "correct" when asked to confirm his name at Hartlepool Magistrates court. | |
| No pleas were entered and no application for bail was made. Mr Darwin will make another appearance in court via a videolink on Friday. | |
| Mr Darwin was arrested at his son's house in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on Tuesday. The canoeist was declared dead by the Hartlepool coroner in 2003. | Mr Darwin was arrested at his son's house in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on Tuesday. The canoeist was declared dead by the Hartlepool coroner in 2003. |
| Mr Darwin appeared in the dock accompanied by a single security guard during the brief magistrates' court hearing. | |
| The first charge he faces is that on 16 May 2003 he fraudulently obtained £25,000 from Unat Direct Insurance Management Limited by deception, by falsely representing that he had been killed in an accident on or about 21 March 2002. | |
| The second charge he faces relates to making statements known to be untrue to obtain a passport. | |
| Anne Darwin is being interviewed by police after returning to the UK | |
| Chairman of the bench, Alan Langshaw, said the case was so serious it could only be dealt with by the Crown Court. | |
| His court appearance comes as police question Mr Darwin's wife, Anne, 55, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud after returning to the UK on Sunday. | His court appearance comes as police question Mr Darwin's wife, Anne, 55, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud after returning to the UK on Sunday. |
| She recently moved to Panama after selling the couple's Teesside home. | She recently moved to Panama after selling the couple's Teesside home. |
| Mrs Darwin, who was arrested at Manchester Airport, was taken to Hartlepool police station, where she underwent a medical examination on Sunday before being questioned by detectives on Monday. | Mrs Darwin, who was arrested at Manchester Airport, was taken to Hartlepool police station, where she underwent a medical examination on Sunday before being questioned by detectives on Monday. |
| It had been thought the former prison officer had died at sea after the remains of his canoe were found on a beach in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Teesside, in March 2002. | It had been thought the former prison officer had died at sea after the remains of his canoe were found on a beach in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Teesside, in March 2002. |
| But he turned up at a north London police station on 1 December, claiming he could not remember what had happened to him. | But he turned up at a north London police station on 1 December, claiming he could not remember what had happened to him. |