When John Darwin turned up at a London police stations five years after going missing at sea it caused a stir. The former prison officer from a North-east seaside town told officers he had no idea where he has been.
But as the truth unravelled it revealed a story as far fetched as any novel. For it transpired Darwin had staged his own death to collect insurance money, lied to his sons and then moved to Panama where he lived with his wife, Anne.
The couple both ended up serving jail terms for their deception. But as the ITV show The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe airs this week telling the barely believable story, many are wondering what the man behind the fraud is doing now.
Chronicle Live reports how the story began to initially unfold 20 years ago when John Darwin went out to sea in a kayak on March 21, 2002. After he then failed to turn up for work at Holme House Prison, the alarm was raised and a huge search operation launched.
The search spanned a huge stretch of coastline, but, with efforts coming to no avail, it was called off and John presumed dead. However, what no-one other than wife Anne knew was that John was absolutely fine and was in fact living in one his properties which was split into 15 bed sits, as the couple conjured up a fraudulent scam to claim insurance, pensions and benefits.
He would stay holed up in the top flat and at night he would creep into the family home via a secret doorway hidden behind a wardrobe. John stayed hidden away on home turf for a number of years, even deceiving his own sons Anthony and Mark, before heading overseas after obtaining a fake passport.
The game was up for him and Anne when John walked into a London police station in 2007 and told officers he didn't know where he had been for the last five years. An investigation was launched but a photo then came to light of John and Anne posing in a property office in Panama, where they'd been living.
In 2008, John Darwin was jailed for six years and three months after admitting eight deception charges. Wife Anne was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail for fraud and money-laundering.
Where is John Darwin now?
John and Anne separated party way through their respective prison stints and were then divorced. John moved to the Philippines and now has a new wife, Mercy Mae, who he met online and is 23 years his junior.
Now 71, John, was recently spotted shopping close to his new home. A friend said: “John and Mercy are really happy together. He feels like he’s been given a second chance at life and he’s grabbing it with both hands.”
One associate of Mercy’s said: “I have always believed John to be a rich guy. He still seems in good health.”
Mercy is said to be angry that The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe was made for ITV without John's permission. It is not known whether he now speaks to his sons.
What is happening where you live? Find out by adding your postcode or visit InYourArea
