After John disappeared,a rescue operation was launched that cost more than £100,000. Six weeks later,his broken canoe washed up on the beach. For the next five-and-a-half years, Anne played the role of a grieving widow,hiding the fraud from her sons,the insurance companies and the police. She and her unsuspecting sons attended an inquest where an open verdict was recorded allowing a death certificate to be issued. Anne received £160,000 in insurance policies plus an £8,000 widow's pension