“And this, ladies and gentlemen”, announced the tour guide, “is the mug that Anne Darwin was holding in her hand the moment she heard that her husband had won £5 million on the lottery”.

Surely he was mistaken? “Didn’t Anne Darwin come into her fortune when she made a huge insurance claim on her husband’s faked death?” I challenged the guide.

“Yes, you are correct. In 2002 John Darwin apparently fell from his canoe and drowned in the North Sea just off the coast of Seaton Carew. In reality he dumped the craft, camped rough for a while, then returned home to his “widow”. She hid him until they left the UK to start a new life in Panama using the money from the insurance claim. However, what is less well-known is that they also scooped a huge lottery win. Even though they are convicted criminals they are entitled to keep all the cash. Given their track record the police always suspected that they forged the winning ticket, but this was never proved.”