retired British miner who killed his terminally in poor health spouse in Cyprus has walked free regardless of being given a jail sentence after a court docket dominated his 19 months in custody was ample.
David Hunter, 76, was advised on Monday he must serve two years behind bars for the manslaughter of his spouse Janice.
The 76-year-old had been on trial for killing his partner of 52 years, Janice, who died of asphyxiation at their house close to the coastal resort city of Paphos in December 2021.
The pensioner, from Ashington, Northumberland, was cleared of the extra critical cost of premeditated homicide after telling the court docket she “cried and begged” him to finish her life as she suffered from blood most cancers.
In May, tearful Hunter advised his trial he would “never in a million years have taken his wife’s life unless she had asked him to”.
He mentioned: “She wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend.”
He confirmed the court docket how he held his spouse’s mouth and nostril and mentioned he finally determined to grant her want after she turned “hysterical”.
The court docket heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, however medics arrived in time to avoid wasting him.
On Monday, judges at Paphos District Court imposed a two-year jail sentence on Hunter. He has already served the vast majority of his sentence having spent 19 months in custody.
Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad, which is representing Hunter, mentioned that in Cyprus a defendant will spend 10 months in custody for yearly that they're jailed.
Hunter’s authorized workforce had argued he ought to be given a suspended sentence as there may be “no point in keeping him in prison any longer”.
In mitigation final week, his defence lawyer, Ritsa Pekri, mentioned his motive was to “liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions”.
Following his launch, Hunter’s daughter Lesley Cawthorne mentioned: “I’m elated and relieved that my darling dad has been released. The past 19 months have been a living nightmare for our family but today is the start of us being able to rebuild our lives.
“Dad’s release also means we can finally grieve for my mum and I hope everyone can respect our privacy whilst we take the time to come to terns with her loss.
“So many people have worked hard and supported our efforts to bring my dad home, too many to mention but you know who you are and you know you have our deepest gratitude.
“The kindness and love of friends and strangers has been the thing that has kept us going and we can never thank you all enough.”
After talking to Hunter over the telephone, Ms Cawthorne added: “Speaking to my daddy was the most amazing thing. I feel like my heart has been put back together.”
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