Remember This Happened To Harold Bishop Before

1

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tees/7124519.stm

Missing canoeist has no memory

A canoeist who walked into a police station five years after going missing has no memory of what happened, police have said.

John Darwin was presumed dead after the remains of his canoe were found washed up on a beach in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, Teesside, in March 2002.

A search at the time failed to locate Mr Darwin, then 51, who walked in to the station in London on Saturday.

Mr Darwin`s 90-year-old father Ronald said it was “wonderful news”.

Cleveland Police said officers were due to speak to him later.

A force spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that Mr Darwin has been located safe and well.

"This has been a long-running inquiry on behalf of the force and officers from Hartlepool hope to speak to Mr Darwin later to establish what has happened over the past five years.

"The family have been informed. We have no account of what has happened in the last five years. He walked into a police station and said I think I am a missing person.

"The guy cannot remember anything about what has happened or why he has come forward.

“He has no memory at all. He has obviously been somewhere for the last five years and a lot of questions need answering.”

No signs of illness

Mr Darwins 90-year-old father Ronald, who lives in Blackhall, near Hartlepool, said: "Its wonderful. Thank the Lord.

“I always knew John wouldn`t do anything stupid. He has always been a sensible sort of fellow.”

Rescuers recall search

Mr Darwin was examined shortly after speaking to police in London and showed no signs of illness.

He left the station with his two sons who live in Hampshire and Berkshire.

Mr Darwin`s disappearance sparked agony for his family.

At the time of his disappearance he was working as a prison officer and the alarm was raised when he failed to arrive for a night shift.

Difficult to grieve

His wife Anne, a doctor`s receptionist, said six months after her husband vanished: "People die, have a funeral, they have a headstone, there is something to mark the fact they existed on this earth.

"But without a body, I dont know how we can mark Johns life.

“All I want is to bury his body. It would enable me to move on. Its difficult to grieve without bringing things to a close, but as it is Im in limbo and there`s nothing I can do.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said Mr Darwin was not held in custody.

He said the Met would not be playing any further role in the investigation as Cleveland Police opened the original missing persons inquiry.

2

Quote from his 90 year-old father:

“I always knew John wouldn`t do anything stupid. He has always been a sensible sort of fellow.”

This is superb. :grin: :grin: :grin:

3

He didnt join the Salvos which disappoints me.

4

Bandage wrote:

At the time of his disappearance he was working as a prison officer and the alarm was raised when he failed to arrive for a night shift.

Was that the prison alarm, all hell must have broke loose :grin:

5

Anyone have any theories on where he was for 5 years? I wonder what the trigger was that made him go, ‘Fook, don’t think I’ve been back to the gaff in about 5 years.’

6

Surely someone out there knows him from sometime in the past 5 years.

He’s one of the 4400 methinks

7

It would make you wonder have they really searched that bedroom properly for Maddie. I mean it’s a high profile case so I’m fairly sure they’d have given a good look around and checked wardrobes and stuff - but what about under the bed and the likes?

8

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1295687,00.html

A canoeist who was believed to have died in 2002 has been arrested after pictures emerged reportedly showing him and his wife in Panama last year.

John Darwin walked into a central London police on Saturday declaring: “I think i’m a missing person.”

But the 57-year-old has since been arrested due to suspicions over his disappearance after a canoe accident in Hartlepool.

His wife Anne, who cashed in his life insurance policy after Darwin was declared dead in 2003, has spoken of her shock at his return.

But the Daily Mirror claims to have a photo of the couple taken by a holiday firm in Panama on July 14, 2006.

Darwin is believed to have been taken into custody from his son’s house in Basingstoke.

Cleveland Police have confirmed that a 57-year old man was arrested yesterday evening by Hampshire Police at the request of the north-east Constabulary.

In a statement released through Cleveland Police on Saturday, his sons Anthony and Mark Darwin said they were “extremely happy” at his reappearance which “came as a huge shock to the whole family”.

The sons said their mother Anne shared their delight at the news.

Police are trying to trace Anne Darwin who is understood to be living in Panama after she sold the couple’s seven-bedroom seafront house in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool three months ago.

Its looking like that Simpsons when Homer fakes his own death so he dosent have to pick up trash on Saturdays for Mr Burns. :grin:

9

Heard that your man got arrested on the radio this morning so I presumed it was something along those lines. His wife had moved to Panama only a little while ago too. I guess he thought he could just wander back after 5 years and nobody would publicise it. I think the father knew all along too - there were a couple of quotes from him where he didn’t give the story away but they looked odd in the context of assuming your son was dead. He said something about being a bit disappointed that he never called to see him during the 5 years.

10

That’s both gas and class. As if selling up and moving to Panama wouldn’t raise suspicion.

11

Apparently the lad has now admitted that he lived in his own gaff for 3 of the last 5 years.

Tremendous.

12

Yeah I saw this on sky news this morning. He used to hide in a secret compartment when the sons came over. And he used to “risk” going out for walks on the beach in winter when he could wrap up and disguise himself

13

Flano wrote:

Yeah I saw this on sky news this morning. He used to hide in a secret compartment when the sons came over. And he used to “risk” going out for walks on the beach in winter when he could wrap up and disguise himself

Because of that closet compartment thing there was a headline in one of the British tabloids today:

The Lying, The Witch and the Wardrobe

14

He’s been charged with obtaining a money transfer by deception and making an untrue statement to obtain a passport. He’ll probably makes millions from book and TV deals.