David Hunter convicted of manslaughter of terminally ill wife
David Hunter, a 76-year-old retired miner from Ashington, Northumberland, has been found guilty of manslaughter for the death of his seriously ill wife, Janice Hunter, aged 74, at their home near Paphos in December 2021.
Despite being initially tried for murder, Hunter was cleared of the murder charge.
During the trial, Hunter maintained that his wife’s death was an act of assisted suicide, claiming that Janice, who was suffering from blood cancer, had pleaded with him to end her misery. His lawyer, Michael Polak from Justice Abroad, argued that the act was not pre-planned and that Hunter acted spontaneously out of compassion due to the excruciating pain his wife was enduring.
The three judges at the district court in Paphos found Hunter not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The verdict brought relief to Hunter, who hugged his legal team and expressed his happiness and elation to the BBC.
The case initially involved a plea deal, wherein Hunter would admit to manslaughter, but authorities made a legal U-turn, leading to the murder trial. Despite the emotional toll of the proceedings, Hunter stood firm in court, tearfully asserting that he would have never taken his wife’s life if she hadn’t explicitly asked him to do so. He emphasized their close bond and how his wife’s pleas for relief from her agony had grown more intense with each passing day.
Ultimately, Hunter succumbed to his wife’s plea and suffocated her when she became “hysterical.” His act of compassion was driven by the hope that she might change her mind, given how deeply he loved her. After the tragic incident, he even attempted to take his own life but was unsuccessful.
With sentencing scheduled for 27 July, Hunter’s lawyer is hopeful that he might receive a suspended sentence, allowing him to return to the UK to live with his daughter. Hunter’s friend, Barry Kent, who fundraised to support his legal costs, expressed relief at the verdict.
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