‘Canoe man’ John Darwin lives on paradise island and makes cringe vids with spouse
Infamous ‘canoe man’ John Darwin has swapped a life of notoriety in the UK for a sun-kissed new existence in Southeast Asia.
Ex-prison officer Darwin, now 74 or 75, famously faked his own death off the North Sea coast in 2002 to trigger a huge insurance scam.
With the help of first wife Anne, he pretended to be ‘dead’ for five years – moving to Panama after living in a room hidden behind a wardrobe at the family home in Seaton Carew, County Durham – before he walked into a London police station in 2007 claiming amnesia.
READ MORE: People who faked their own deaths including ‘canoe man’ John Darwin and Nicholas Rossi
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Both he and Anne were jailed for more than six years for fraud in 2008.
(Image: Rowan Griffiths)
They have since divorced and John is now living in Southeast Asia with a much younger new wife, who is somewhat ironically named Mercy, and he still receives a UK state pension, the Mirror reported in 2022
The 30+ degrees celcius Pacific heat of the Philippines is a far cry from the chilly Seaton Carew beach in County Durham where John faked his own demise by paddling out to sea in his canoe.
And his life probably looks much different day to day, too. In a weird Facebook clip posted by Mercy last May, Darwin is seen awkwardly perched on a stool as she speaks her native tongue, before breaking into song in English.
(Image: Rowan Griffiths)
The Mail Online reported that Mercy describes herself as a ‘digital creator’ on her profile and increasingly uses her husband as a co-star to bag likes.
It comes after the Mirror exclusively revealed that, in a series of bizarre messages Mercy claimed John would fight the Russians in Ukraine.
When asked about the danger, she added: “Yes, dangerous for the Russian when he shoot them (sic).
“He will have a bullet proof vest and good life insurance, good for me.”
Mum-of-three Mercy has lived in the Philippines with Darwin since meeting online. They wed in 2015.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
The Mirror reported that Mercy is 23 years his junior and has businesses including a clothes stall in a giant indoor market.
His new life is a far cry from the one he dreamed of as the swindler helps to flog his market trader wife’s £4.35 a time undies and T-shirts.
In 2016, his landlady said John spent most of his time locked away in his room because he was allergic to the dirt and dust in the world’s most densely populated capital.
In 2021 it was reported that the couple moved out of crowded capital Manila to a new home around 30 minutes away and it is believed they let the property next door.
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