'Canoe man' John Darwin, 71, is willing to travel to Ukraine to FIGHT, says second wife – Daily Mail
‘Canoe man’ John Darwin is willing to travel to Ukraine to right, according to his second wife – who insists he has ‘good life insurance’.
Mercy Mae Avila Darwin, 48, said her 71-year-old husband, who faked his death for money, is ‘on his way’ to join troops fighting against Russian forces.
When questioned about the danger, she told The Mirror: ‘Yes, dangerous for the Russian when he shoot them.
‘He will have a bullet proof vest and good life insurance, good for me.’
Her comments come ahead of an ITV drama, ‘The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe’, airing next month, exploring the culpability of John’s first wife, Anne.
The Darwins’ jaw-dropping deception tricked insurers, police and even their two sons into believing the ex-prison officer had died in a North Sea accident in 2002.
Mercy Mae Avila Darwin, 48, said her 71-year-old husband John (both seen in the Philippines), who faked his death for money, is ‘on his way’ to join troops fighting against Russian forces
A Ukrainian soldier inspects a destroyed Russian APC after recent battle in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Thursday. When questioned about the danger, John’s second wife said: ‘He will have a bullet proof vest and good life insurance, good for me’
Her comments come ahead of an ITV drama, ‘The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe’, airing next month, exploring the culpability of John’s first wife, Anne (pictured near Middlesbrough
The couple started a new life in Panama but the tale unravelled in 2007 when a photo emerged of John and his wife smiling alongside an estate agent in Panama where they had moved to run an eco-resort.
Their elaborate plot wiped off their £700,000 debt and fooled insurers into paying out over £500,000 so that they could start a new life abroad.
They were jailed for the fraud and the extent of the parents’ deception shocked the world.
During her trial at Teesside Crown Court, Anne used the unusual defence of marital coercion, claiming her domineering husband had forced her to go through with the massive deception.
It failed, but some observers have said that her explanation would now get a more sympathetic hearing.
Eddie Marsan, who plays John, said even the crew were divided by what they made of Anne, played by Bafta-winner Monica Dolan.
He said: ‘There’s a generational interpretation of the story.
‘The older female members of the crew felt that she should have taken more responsibility and the younger ones felt that she was a victim.’
The plan came crashing down in 2007 when a photo (above) emerged of John and his wife smiling alongside an estate agent in Panama where they had moved to run an eco-resort
None of the Darwin family were involved in making the drama, though the script was based on court documents, police interviews and media (file photo of John)
Anne, 70, now lives alone in a village near Middlesbrough where she lives quietly having re-built her life after a six-year prison sentence.
Dolan hoped the audience will ‘yo-yo’ in their feelings towards Anne, saying: ‘We can feel guilty but still do things.’
None of the Darwin family were involved in making the drama, though the script was based on court documents, police interviews, TV appearances and newspaper stories.
But one of the Darwin sons was thought to have turned up to watch the first day of filming on location in Hartlepool, Lang said, and kept a low profile in a baseball cap and wearing a Covid mask.
His second wife’s comments come ahead of an ITV drama (pictured above), ‘The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe’, airing next month, exploring the culpability of John’s first wife, Anne
