David Hunter “can’t describe” how freedom feels after killing wife Janice in an assisted suicide.
Image source, Family handoutA British ex-pat has been jailed for killing his ill wife in Cyprus but will be released from prison in weeks.
David Hunter has been sentenced to two years for the manslaughter of his wife Janice, 74, after she “begged” him to end her life at their home near Paphos in December 2021.
But the 76-year-old, originally from Ashington, Northumberland, will be released shortly with the time he has spent in custody taken into account.
The ex-miner was cleared of her murder.
Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad, which is representing Hunter, said he would be released on 18 August at the latest, although he could be let out earlier for good behaviour.
Image source, Family handout
Hunter told the court his wife “cried and begged” him to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.
His legal team had argued he should be given a suspended sentence, in a case which was a legal first in the country.
In mitigation last week, his defence lawyer Ritsa Pekri said his motive was to “liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions”.
The court heard it was Mrs Hunter’s “wish” to die and that her husband “had only feelings of love for her”.
Image source, PA Media
Hunter said he would “never in a million years” have suffocated his wife unless she had asked him to.
He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife’s mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her her wish after she became “hysterical”.
The court heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, but paramedics arrived in time to save him.
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