An Ashington man "confessed" to killing his wife in Cyprus while so high on drink and drugs he did not recognise his daughter's voice, it is claimed.
David Hunter's lawyers are to challenge the basis of his statement due to his state of mine at the time. It is alleged that the 75-year-old smothered terminally ill wife Janice, also 75, in December last year following a suicide pact.
Daughter Lesley, 49, told the Mirror : "There are huge question marks over his confession. Was he in the right state of mind to know his right to remain silent and his right to a lawyer? I spoke to him at that time and he didn’t even recognise me."
Read more: Ashington man accused of murdering wife in suicide pact is now 'all skin and bone' in jail
Mr Hunter is understood to have made an admission to police at the couple's home in Tremithousa while he was heavily intoxicated. The former miner is believed to have then given a statement in intensive care in Paphos General Hospital before being sectioned for ten days.
Should he be found guilty of murder when his trial begins in September, he face a life sentence. The case was adjourned on Thursday in Paphos.
Michael Polak, a lawyer with legal aid group Justice Abroad, said the accused was without a lawyer until he was contacted. He added that Mr Hunter was sectioned before being put in prison.
Lawyer Nicoletta Charalambidou said it was important to know whether her client had understood his rights at the time. She said: "His mental condition was never taken into account when he gave the statement."
"This is a matter which should be separately examined by the court, the extent to which rights were granted and applied properly."
Janice was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2016 and had begged her husband of 52 years to end her life, Lesley previously told the Mirror. She would scream in agony due to the pain of her illness.
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: "Our thoughts are with the Hunter family, who are not only grieving the death of Janice but also facing the prospect of life in prison for David. Although this case is about laws in Cyprus, it demonstrates the cruelty and lack of safety in a blanket ban on assisted dying, which is just as true of the UK.
"Compassion should not be a crime but until assisted dying is a legal, regulated choice for those at the end of life in this country, it will remain so."
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