The Press Complaints Commission has reminded media outlets that any payments made to Anne Darwin must abide by its code, which restricts financial reward for criminal actions.

The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror published comments by Mrs Darwin that suggest that she was aware that a deception carried out by her husband, in which she was implicated, had been exposed.

The commission took private soundings yesterday to establish whether Mrs Darwin was offered payment for speaking to the newspapers.

The papers gave private assurances that they had made no direct payment to Mrs Darwin.

It is not known whether a freelance who acted as a middleman between Mrs Darwin and the papers made any payment to her.

All newspapers must abide by the PCC code, which states: “Payment or offers of payment for stories, pictures or information, which seek to exploit a particular crime or to glorify or glamorise crime in general, must not be made directly or via agents to convicted or confessed criminals or to their associates – who may include family, friends and colleagues.”

However, the papers would be able to mount a “public interest” defence. Exceptions permitted include “detecting or exposing crime or serious impropriety” as well as “preventing the public from being misled”.

It emerged that the mystery had been cracked by a single mother who typed a few words into an internet search engine and came up with the picture that showed the “dead” man with wife in Panama.

That was four years after John Darwin went missing off the coast while out in his canoe, and was later pronounced dead at an inquest.

The woman, who forwarded the picture to Cleveland Police and a national newspaper, has labelled the couple “dumb”.

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