ANNE Darwin was convicted of six counts of fraud and nine of money laundering. At her trial at Teesside Crown Court, Mrs Darwin's case was that her "domineering" husband forced her to go through with the plan, but her defence of coercion by him was rejected by the jury.

She was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Mr Darwin was jailed for six years and three months after he admitted deception and theft charges.

Both later appealed against their sentences, but Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge ruled that the prison terms were severe, but not "manifestly excessive", and said the pair had committed the "grossest form of betrayal" against their two innocent sons.

Mr Darwin’s memoirs were later smuggled out of jail, sparking a Prison Service investigation.

An hour-long docu-drama on their case was made for BBC4 starring Bernard Hill and Saskia Reeves. It included film shot in Central America, where the couple planned to live.

The couple divorced while in jail.

Mr Darwin was released from Moorland open prison in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in January 2011, after earlier being spotted walking along Seaton Carew beach, close to his home, while on day release.

Mrs Darwin was released weeks later.

In December 2013, Mr Darwin fell foul of the law again when it emerged he had travelled to the Ukraine for a date with a local woman without the permission of the Probation Service.

He needed its authority to travel because he was still on licence and required to comply with certain conditions, including not leaving the UK.

He was arrested at Newcastle Airport as he flew back to Britain.

Mrs Darwin later co-wrote a book about her life and the fraud, and took up charity work.

Both were pursued through the courts at length under Proceeds of Crime legislation, with their assets being seized and Mrs Darwin paying back hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Police vowed to keep up the financial pressure on them, in order to send a strong signal to anyone else who may have been tempted into such a fraud.

Mr Darwin is now believed to be living in the Far East, having married Mercy May Avila, a Filipina woman in her 30s, in June 2015.