The row of imposing Victorian houses in Seaton Carew, County Durham, had stunning panoramic views over the beach and the North Sea coastline.
Married couple Anne and John Darwin lived at No3 The Cliff – a seven-bedroom property with grand rooms and period charm.They also owned No4 next door, which had been converted into bedsits.
It was part of the couple’s property rental business that included several other bedsit properties across County Durham. Hartlepool-born Darwin, 51, had been a teacher for 18 years, but by 2002, he was working as a prison officer at HM Prison Holme House in Stockton.
Anne, 50, was a doctor’s receptionist. The couple had been married 30 years and had two sons, Mark, 32, and Anthony, 29. Darwin drove a Range Rover with a personal number plate and Anne was a regular churchgoer.They were a picture of respectability.
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