Menu
28/07/2008
Darwin Sons Reject Mum's Jail Appeal
The sons of jailed con-couple, John and Anne Darwin, have spoken of their anger over their parents' betrayal.
Anthony and Mark Darwin attacked their mother for putting them "through hell" describing their bitterness on their father's faked death.
The couple, jailed over their £250,000 life insurance con, after a staged 'disappearance" by John Darwin in an imagined canoe accident, are being snubbed by their sons.
In newspaper interviews the week after their parents were each jailed for more than six years for staging John Darwin's death, the brothers said they could not forgive them despite a pleading letter from their mother from jail.
Anthony, 29, an insurance broker and Mark, 32, a software engineer, described how their mother acted out her grief when their father went missing.
They also told how he had pretended to have amnesia when he handed himself in to police.
Anthony told the Mail on Sunday he felt as if his whole life had been "a lie".
"They have tarnished all the good times that came before. I can't ever forgive them for putting us through the torture of mourning.
"They were in it together and they deserve the sentences handed down by the judge.
"They’re as bad as each other," he added.
"Dad told one nasty lie and disappeared and said he was dead but she lied for six years, she was the face of the lies and she kept lying even when the evidence was so overwhelmingly against her.
"She dragged us through hell by forcing a court case."
His brother said his mother had been transformed by her actions into a "hideous lying bitch".
"I have 'been had' completely and I feel bitter about it. It will take a lot of time to come to terms with what they have done. At the moment I want nothing to do with them."
In her letter, their mother Anne pleads for forgiveness and apologises for the "anguish and pain" she caused.
The 56-year-old was jailed for six-and-a-half years and her husband, 57, for six years and three months at Teesside Crown Court last week.
The couple hoaxed insurers and pension schemes into believing he was dead to pay off their debts by faking his death near their home in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, in 2002.
Their scam was exposed when a picture emerged of the couple from 2006 together in Panama.
(DS)
Anthony and Mark Darwin attacked their mother for putting them "through hell" describing their bitterness on their father's faked death.
The couple, jailed over their £250,000 life insurance con, after a staged 'disappearance" by John Darwin in an imagined canoe accident, are being snubbed by their sons.
In newspaper interviews the week after their parents were each jailed for more than six years for staging John Darwin's death, the brothers said they could not forgive them despite a pleading letter from their mother from jail.
Anthony, 29, an insurance broker and Mark, 32, a software engineer, described how their mother acted out her grief when their father went missing.
They also told how he had pretended to have amnesia when he handed himself in to police.
Anthony told the Mail on Sunday he felt as if his whole life had been "a lie".
"They have tarnished all the good times that came before. I can't ever forgive them for putting us through the torture of mourning.
"They were in it together and they deserve the sentences handed down by the judge.
"They’re as bad as each other," he added.
"Dad told one nasty lie and disappeared and said he was dead but she lied for six years, she was the face of the lies and she kept lying even when the evidence was so overwhelmingly against her.
"She dragged us through hell by forcing a court case."
His brother said his mother had been transformed by her actions into a "hideous lying bitch".
"I have 'been had' completely and I feel bitter about it. It will take a lot of time to come to terms with what they have done. At the moment I want nothing to do with them."
In her letter, their mother Anne pleads for forgiveness and apologises for the "anguish and pain" she caused.
The 56-year-old was jailed for six-and-a-half years and her husband, 57, for six years and three months at Teesside Crown Court last week.
The couple hoaxed insurers and pension schemes into believing he was dead to pay off their debts by faking his death near their home in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, in 2002.
Their scam was exposed when a picture emerged of the couple from 2006 together in Panama.
(DS)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
16 July 2008
Canoe Man 'Cried And Begged' To Come Home
The wife of 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist John Darwin has told Teesside Crown Court that he had cried and begged her to let him come home after staging his own death. Anne Darwin, 56, faces six charges of deception and nine charges of money laundering linked to insurance payments, in connection with her husband's disappearance.
Canoe Man 'Cried And Begged' To Come Home
The wife of 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist John Darwin has told Teesside Crown Court that he had cried and begged her to let him come home after staging his own death. Anne Darwin, 56, faces six charges of deception and nine charges of money laundering linked to insurance payments, in connection with her husband's disappearance.
17 July 2008
'Back-From-The-Dead' Canoeist 'Cheated On Wife'
The wife of "back-from-the-dead" canoeist John Darwin has appeared in court today to give her own account in the money laundering and deception case. Anne Darwin told a jury that she forgave her husband after he cheated on her and that she considered leaving him but "didn't know how she would cope" without him.
'Back-From-The-Dead' Canoeist 'Cheated On Wife'
The wife of "back-from-the-dead" canoeist John Darwin has appeared in court today to give her own account in the money laundering and deception case. Anne Darwin told a jury that she forgave her husband after he cheated on her and that she considered leaving him but "didn't know how she would cope" without him.
24 July 2008
'Canoe' Couple Assets Frozen
The assets of John and Anne Darwin have been frozen in the first stage of the asset recovery operation. The 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist and his wife were each sentenced to six years for fraud. There is now a worldwide freeze on their assets and the process to reclaim £250,000 has begun through the Proceeds of Crime Act.
'Canoe' Couple Assets Frozen
The assets of John and Anne Darwin have been frozen in the first stage of the asset recovery operation. The 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist and his wife were each sentenced to six years for fraud. There is now a worldwide freeze on their assets and the process to reclaim £250,000 has begun through the Proceeds of Crime Act.
23 July 2008
'Lost' Canoiest Wife Jailed
The wife of "back-from-the-dead" canoeist has been sentenced to six years and six months for fraud. Anne Darwin, 56, has been convicted at Teeside Crown Court for her role in claiming £250,00 after helping her husband fake his death.
'Lost' Canoiest Wife Jailed
The wife of "back-from-the-dead" canoeist has been sentenced to six years and six months for fraud. Anne Darwin, 56, has been convicted at Teeside Crown Court for her role in claiming £250,00 after helping her husband fake his death.
12 August 2008
Anne Darwin To Appeal Jail Sentence
The wife of the 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist John Darwin, has launched an appeal against her conviction and sentence, it has been revealed. Anne Darwin, 56, was found guilty of 15 charges of fraud and money laundering during a seven-day trial at Teeside Crown Court in July.
Anne Darwin To Appeal Jail Sentence
The wife of the 'back-from-the-dead' canoeist John Darwin, has launched an appeal against her conviction and sentence, it has been revealed. Anne Darwin, 56, was found guilty of 15 charges of fraud and money laundering during a seven-day trial at Teeside Crown Court in July.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Showers, scattered in the evening, will clear by midnight leaving the night dry with clear spells. Perhaps a touch of ground frost. Cloud will spread east towards morning. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
