UK & World News
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
Canoe scam wife to repay thousands
13:05, Nov 11 2009
Fraudster Anne Darwin has agreed to repay nearly £600,000 from the faked death scam she carried out with her husband, Leeds Crown Court has heard.
The married couple, who conned insurance companies after they staged husband John's death in a fake canoeing accident, will see their assets confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Mrs Darwin will agree to pay a total of £591,838.25 - made up of £363,700.01 compensation to the victims of the crime and £228,138.24 under the terms of the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Husband John, 58, was not at court, but he has agreed to pay a nominal sum of £1 because he has no financial assets. Mrs Darwin, 57, was in court for the confiscation hearing.
Anne Darwin was jailed for six-and-a-half years last year after a jury found her guilty of six counts of fraud and nine of money laundering. Her husband was jailed for six years and three months after admitting seven charges of deception.
The crooked couple, of The Cliff, Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, embarked on a new life in Panama after Mr Darwin faked his death in March 2002 by vanishing off the coast.
He turned up at a UK police station in November 2007, claiming he was a missing person with amnesia. But the pair's ruse was blown apart when a photo of the couple in Panama turned up on the internet.
During the trial at Teesside Crown Court in July last year, the jury heard the couple tricked the police, a coroner, financial institutions and even their sons Mark, 34, and Anthony, 31, into believing the former prison officer was dead. The court heard Mr Darwin obtained a passport in the name of dead Sunderland baby John Jones and lived secretly with his wife while they hatched a plot to emigrate to Panama and start a new life. Mr Darwin travelled to Panama where they bought a flat and planned to set up an ecology tourism business together.
But just weeks after his wife sold off their UK properties and joined him in Panama in late 2007, he walked into a police station in London and said he had amnesia. The former doctors' receptionist claimed during her trial that she was forced into the scam by her husband. But a jury did not believe her and found her guilty on all counts. Earlier this year the couple both lost appeals against their jail sentences.
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Syria army general assassinated 12:05, Feb 11 2012
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Eight held in corruption probe 11:05, Feb 11 2012
Eight people, including a serving Surrey Police officer, a serving member of the armed forces and a Ministry of Defence employee, have been arrested over allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials. more
Man quizzed over village murder 10:05, Feb 11 2012
A man arrested on suspicion of murder in a rural village is being questioned by police. more
Man held after restaurant stand-off 06:05, Feb 11 2012
A 38-year-old man is in custody after being arrested following an eight-hour stand-off with armed police at an Italian restaurant in Glasgow city centre. more
Mercury plummets to winter low 06:05, Feb 11 2012
Britain has endured its coldest night of the winter so far with temperatures plummeting close to -18C in some areas, forecasters said. more
West: Syrian officials accountable 03:05, Feb 11 2012
Syrian officials involved in the brutal suppression of anti-regime protests will eventually be held accountable for their actions, Western diplomats have warned. more
Pledge to overturn prayers ruling 03:05, Feb 11 2012
Christians and community figures have vowed that a High Court decision to outlaw the centuries-old tradition of formal prayers being said at the start of local council meetings is not be the end of the matter. more
Families 'set to lose tax credit' 01:05, Feb 11 2012
More than 200,000 families will lose tax credits worth almost £4,000 a year unless they significantly increase their working hours, according to figures highlighted by Labour. more
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
