Police 'taken in' by canoe wife


Anne Darwin was arrested following her husband's reappearance


The wife of canoeist John Darwin "put on a great act" to dupe senior police officers and her own children that he had died a court has heard.
Anne Darwin 56 denies five counts of obtaining money by deception and one of obtaining property by deception.
Teesside Crown Court heard on Monday how a seasoned Cleveland Police officer appointed in a family liaison role was "completely taken in."
Mr Darwin has admitted deception and will be sentenced later.
Andrew Robertson QC prosecuting told the jury a financial crisis motivated the couple to stage Mr Darwin's death and then claim insurance and pension money.
He said: "She put on a great act. Because of the distress apparently being suffered by Mrs Darwin a police officer was appointed as a family liaison officer for her.
"Such was the act she was able to perform this seasoned police officer was completely taken in.
We submit this was a convincing performance and one which obviously required no prompting let alone coercion from her husband


Andrew Robertson QC


"Throughout the period he was dealing with her she kept up the facade that she was genuinely grieving for the death of her husband."
The following August a body was found off the coast of Hartlepool and police asked Mrs Darwin if she would be prepared to identify it.
As a detective explained the situation she burst into tears and said she wanted the body to be John's so he could be laid to rest and so that she could move on Mr Robertson told the jury.
He added: "We submit this was a convincing performance and one which obviously required no prompting let alone coercion from her husband."
Mrs Darwin's defence centres on her claim that she was coerced by her husband.
Mr Robertson said that for the defence to succeed she must prove that Mr Darwin was present at the time each offence was committed.
She will also have to show that the pressure was so great that she had no choice and "she was impelled to act in a way against her own will".
He showed the jury a photograph of John and Anne Darwin smiling and posing with a Panamanian estate agent when the couple were looking to buy property in Central America with the proceeds of their fraud he said.
Mounting debts
He said: "When you look at that photo you will have to consider whether she was a woman whose own will had been overborne or whether in fact that picture is indicative of a woman who was very happy at the prospect of enjoying the fruits of this fraud."
The court also heard the Darwins' sons Mark 32 and Anthony 29 were kept completely in the dark by their parents' deception.
Mr Robertson said: "Anne Darwin clearly thought nothing of lying to her sons in this way and convincing them that their own father was lost at sea and dead in order to see this fraud through to its conclusion."
Mr Darwin walked into a police station five years after being presumed dead when his canoe was found in the sea close to his home at Seaton Carew in 2002.
A huge air-sea search failed to find any trace of his body and he was later pronounced dead.
The court heard the couple were facing mounting repayments on a £245000 mortgage taken out on about a dozen properties in the Durham area and other debts totalling £64000 before Mr Darwin's disappearance.
At Leeds Crown Court in March John Darwin also admitted a passport offence but denied nine charges of using criminal property.
He will not face trial for the charges he denied which will be left to lie on file. The trial continues.