As her trial neared its end at Teesside Crown Court, the jury was told that despite her maintaining she was forced to go along with the scheme by her back-from-the-dead husband she will 'inevitably' be caught out by her lies.

The prosecution told her she was fighting a "last ditch" battle to get away with it.

She faced tough cross-examination from prosecutor Andrew Robertson QC who claimed she repeatedly changed her story in a bid to reduce her involvement in the fraud.

Mr Robertson rubbished claims she was forced into taking part in the scam by her husband John Darwin and said she lied about him being present when she carried out her part of the plot so she could use the unusual defence of "marital coercion".

The 56-year-old has admitted she took part in the scheme, but has claimed during her trial that she was forced by her prison officer husband who was present when she made the insurance claims.

But Mr Robertson went through notes of her interviews with the police and told the jury that although she had the opportunity to tell the officers she was forced by her "manipulative" and "domineering" husband, she made no reference to marital coercion when questioned.

He said: "The reason we see the difference with the interviews and what we have on oath is that you have to plug that gap otherwise there is no defence.

"You have come up with this so you can run this defence. You didn't appreciate this during interview and it never happened in this way because you were working as partners. You didn't mention it because it didn't happen."

He added: "It was to your advantage to lie about him being present because it gives a last-ditch chance to get away with all this.

"That's what this trial is all about. You pushing everything to the wire, sticking to the original lie. When that's proved to be a lie, change tack and when you are caught, again there are more lies.

"This is the last wire, it is your last chance to get away with it. It is nothing to do with the truth.

"Mrs Darwin, when you tell so many lies, inevitably you are going to be caught out.

"You still try to brazen it out now. That's what you are doing isn't it."

Anne Darwin denied the claims and shook her head.

Mr Robertson told the court Darwin was a competent actor who played the grieving widow with "imaginative detail".

He claimed she went to great lengths to ensure the fraud was not discovered, including laying flowers on the one year anniversary of her husband's bogus disappearance, playing a grieving wife to a police liaison officer after John Darwin's inquest, and also giving an interview so police could issue a press release six months after her husband "disappeared".