Canoe man Darwin appeals jail term

LONDON (Reuters) - John Darwin, jailed for faking his death in a canoeing accident so his wife could claim on his life insurance, appealed against his sentence on Friday.

Darwin, 58, was sentenced to six years and three months imprisonment at Teesside Crown Court in July after pleading guilty to obtaining cash by deception.

His solicitor John Nixon said Darwin had applied to the Appeal Court for the right to challenge the sentence, the Press Association reported.

His wife Anne has already launched an appeal against her conviction and her six and a half year sentence.

She was found guilty of fraud and money laundering following a week-long trial that revealed the lengths the couple had taken to secure more than 250,000 pounds in insurance and pension payouts.

The ordinary-looking couple not only deceived friends but betrayed their two grown children in an effort to pull off the swindle.

The sons turned against their mother at her trial, giving evidence on behalf of the prosecution.

Darwin disappeared in March 2002 after paddling out to sea one morning from his home on England's northeast coast.

He was eventually declared dead after the battered remains of his red canoe were found.