John Darwin, a former teacher and prison officer, was declared dead in 2003, a year after his canoe was found wrecked on a beach in the north of England.
However, the 57-year-old walked into a London police station a little over a week ago, claiming that he was unable to remember where he had been, and telling police: "I think I may be a missing person."
It seemed like a fairy-tale come true, and John Darwin's wife, Anne, who moved to Panama in October of this year, spoke of her happiness at her husband's return from the dead.
However, the fairy-tale was subsequently to mutate into an intrigue-filled thriller worthy of Alfred Hitchcock.
A few days after John Darwin announced his return, the Daily Mirror newspaper uncovered a photograph of him and his wife in Panama - taken in July 2006. The one-time canoeist was subsequently arrested.
His wife later admitted that she had known her husband was still alive, saying, "My sons will never forgive me. They knew nothing. They thought John was dead. Now they are going to hate me."
Anne Darwin, 55, had received a life-insurance payout following her husband's 'death'.
After initially claiming she was unable to return to Britain due to "visa problems," she returned to the U.K. on Sunday, and was arrested at Manchester International Airport at around 9:00 a.m. GMT.
On Saturday, John Darwin was charged with illegally obtaining a passport and receiving a money transfer in relation to a life insurance policy.
The Daily Mirror said Darwin was being investigated for alleged fraud involving mortgage policies, pension payouts and property deals
"I don't want to go to jail," said Anne. "I really don't think I could cope. I just don't. I'm not strong enough. And as for John, he's a former prison officer, what would it be like for him? He'd have a terrible time."
The Daily Mirror quotes Anne Darwin as saying that she got ?25,000 ($50,000) from a life assurance policy and a further ?130,000 ($260,000) in life insurance.
"I'm sure I am going to have to give the money back that I got from John's death, so I will have no money. And as for working, I don't know if anyone would want to employ me," she told the paper.
She insists she had always intended to pay the money back.
