Sunderland Echo

TIMELINE OF HOW THE CANOE CONMAN SAGA UNFOLDED

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March 21, 2002. John Darwin is reportedly seen paddling into the sea in his red canoe opposite his home at The Cliff, in Seaton Carew. March 22, 2002. The remains of the canoe are found washed up on the beach in Seaton, sparking a massive search involving police and coastguard. April 10 2003. An open verdict is recorded at his inquest. John is later declared dead, allowing Anne to claim £250,000 insurance money. 2003-2006. John secretly lived in an adjacent bedsit in Seaton for about three years. July 2006. John and Anne flew from Newcastle to Panama, where they were photograph­ed by a property agent. December 1, 2007. John Darwin walks into a Central London police station claiming to have amnesia. His two sons believed he was dead. March 13, 2008. John Darwin pleads guilty to seven charges of obtaining cash by deception and a passport offence. Anne Dawrin denies six charges of deception and nine of using criminal property. July 23, 2008. John is jailed for six years and three months for fraud. Anne Darwin was jailed for six and a half years after she was found guilty of deception and money laundering. January 2011. John Darwin is released from prison on parole after serving less than half of his sentence. March 2011. Anne is released from prison after serving just under two years and eight months of her sentence. September 2011. In an exclusive interview with the Hartlepool Mail, Darwin said “desperate times” led to the scam. December 2013. John Darwin was jailed for 28 days for breaching his parole conditions by flying to Ukraine to meet a 25-year-old blonde he met on the internet. April 2014. John returned to court for a confiscati­on hearing. At that time he had paid back just £121 out of £679.073 June 2015. John hit the headlines after it was reported he had married a Filipino woman half his age following a whirlwind romance. July 2015. The Crown Prosecutio­n Service said it had recovered £40,000 from John Darwin bringing the total regained from him and ex-wife Anne to £541,762. January 2016. Darwin is reported to be living new life selling T-shirts as a market trader in the Philippine­s.

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