A canoeing accident five years ago was presumed to have claimed the life of a British man. On Saturday, police in northeast England said 57-year-old John Darwin turned up last week claiming amnesia, and is now under arrest for fraud.

His wife, 55-year-old Anne Darwin could also face charges after allegedly living abroad with him for years after his faked death.

Darwin’s canoe was found washed up along the North Sea shore after he disappeared in the spring of 2002.

The Darwins were reportedly in debt at the time, and it has been reported by British newspapers that Mrs. Darwin claims her husband saw faking his own death as the only way out.