BRITAIN:Police investigating the case of "back-from-the-dead" John Darwin issued a picture of him wearing a wispy beard with a silver streak yesterday and appealed for anyone who recognised the image to come forward with details of his movements since his disappearance in 2002.
The photograph, which enabled the owner of a failing bedsit business to obtain a passport after his supposed death in a canoeing accident, was released after he made a short appearance at Hartlepool magistrates court. "People may have seen him when he looked like this," said Det Supt Tony Hutchinson of Cleveland police, brandishing the grainy image.
Looking nervous and unkempt, Mr Darwin (57) spoke in court only to confirm his name and give his date of birth before being remanded to Durham jail on two fraud charges.
Cleveland police also said last night that Mr Darwin's wife, Anne, had been charged with deception. She will appear before Hartlepool magistrates court this morning. Police said she faced one charge of dishonestly obtaining £25,000 (€34,800) by money transfer and one charge of obtaining £137,000 by money transfer. Both offences related to 2003.
She was arrested on Sunday coming off a flight at Manchester airport.
Det Supt Hutchinson said detectives had interviewed the couple's two sons and there was "nothing whatsoever to suggest that they are anything other than victims of this case".
He appealed directly for more information about where the Darwins had been "in Europe and North and South America".
Mr Darwin was charged with making an untrue statement to obtain a passport and with obtaining £25,000 by deception from an insurance company.