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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Court remands canoeist in custody | Court remands canoeist in custody |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man who was presumed dead in a canoeing accident has been remanded in custody on charges of deception. | |
| John Darwin, 57, is accused of obtaining a £25,000 life insurance policy by deception and making an untrue statement to get a passport. | John Darwin, 57, is accused of obtaining a £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. | He spoke only to reply "correct" when asked to confirm his name at Hartlepool Magistrates' Court. |
| Police are questioning Mr Darwin's wife Anne, 55, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud on Sunday. | Police are questioning Mr Darwin's wife Anne, 55, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud on Sunday. |
| Mr Darwin will make another appearance in court via a videolink on Friday. He was arrested at his son's house in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on Tuesday. | Mr Darwin will make another appearance in court via a videolink on Friday. He was arrested at his son's house in Basingstoke, Hampshire, on Tuesday. |
| The canoeist was declared dead by the Hartlepool coroner in 2003. | 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. | 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 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. | 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 | Anne Darwin is being interviewed by police after returning to the UK |
| Mr Darwin did not enter a plea and there was no application for bail made. | Mr Darwin did not enter a plea and there was no application for bail made. |
| The chairman of the bench, Alan Langshaw, said the case was so serious it could only be dealt with by a crown court. | |
| Mrs Darwin, who was arrested at Manchester Airport, recently moved to Panama after selling the couple's Teesside home. | Mrs Darwin, who was arrested at Manchester Airport, recently moved to Panama after selling the couple's Teesside home. |
| She was taken to Hartlepool police station after her return to the UK, where she was questioned by detectives. | She was taken to Hartlepool police station after her return to the UK, where she was questioned by detectives. |
| It had been thought that Mr Darwin, a 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 that Mr Darwin, a 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. |