The two sons of a British kayaker who was presumed dead for years say they were angry and confused to learn their mother apparently knew their father was alive.

One of the police officers who accompanied John Darwin to a station to be questioned on Wednesday.
(Chris Ison/Associated Press)

John Darwin, 57, was presumed dead after his red kayak was found broken apart in the North Sea in 2002. News reports originally said it was a canoe, but police say it was a kayak.

Darwin walked into a police station in London on Saturday and told officers he couldn't remember the past seven years, but thought he was a missing person.

Days later, police took him into custody on suspicion of fraud in a case that garnered international media attention.

The Daily Mirror published a photo apparently showing the Darwins in a Panama apartment last year, and later his wife confirmed to the paper that the photo is authentic.

"Yes, that's him. My sons will never forgive me," his wife, Anne, told the British tabloid.

The couple's two sons, Anthony and Mark Darwin, responded to the latest news by sending out a news release via the Cleveland Police in the north of England.

Since their father's appearance on Saturday, the two say they have gone through a "roller-coaster of emotion," from the "height of elation" at finding out he was alive to the "depths of despair" over the shock of the picture.

"If the paper's allegations of a confession from our mam are true then we very much feel that we have been the victims in a large scam," the statement said.

Police said they plan to interview John Darwin Thursday afternoon. He has been medically examined and declared fit, police said.

Cleveland police Det.-Supt. Tony Hutchinson revealed Wednesday that Darwin's case had been reopened several months ago following reports of "something suspicious."