A British former miner accused of killing his terminally ill wife could face life in a Cyprus jail after a plea deal was sensationally thrown out.
Legal teams from both sides had agreed last month to allow David Hunter, 75, to plea to a reduced charge of manslaughter, as opposed to pre-meditated murder, which carries a ten-year sentence.
The retired Northumberland man, who has spent the last year in a Cypriot cell, says he smothered terminally ill 75-year-old Janice - his wife of 56 years - at their home in Paphos in December last year at her request.
But this morning the plea deal was thrown out and a full blown murder trial was announced.
It had been expected that David, from Northumberland, would today plead guilty to manslaughter at Paphos Assize Court - which would have spared him spending the rest of his life in prison.
His daughter Lesley Cawthorne, 49, told the Mirror: “I'm shocked and devastated and wish the Cypriot justice system would perhaps consider the impact on my family.”
Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad, coordinating Hunter's defense, accused the prosecuting side of acting in bad-faith after making the unexpected U-turn.
He said: “We are very disappointed by the decision of the prosecution to go back on the agreed facts that they had put forward and which had been agreed between the parties so that the charge could be changed to manslaughter.
“It is clear the prosecution in this case is attempting to ensure Mr Hunter receives the highest possible sentence and to prevent mitigating factors, which arise from the evidence in the case, from being put before the Court.
“We entered into dialogue with the prosecution in good faith and unfortunately it appears the case against Mr Hunter is being treated like a game by the Cypriot authorities.
“Getting justice in Cyprus is always difficult as we have experienced in the past in cases of foreign nationals who have appeared here, however we will continue to fight for David, who continues to suffer, to ensure he gets the best possible result in this very sad case.“
Janice died in December 2021 at the couple's retirement home.
Janice, who was married to David for 46 years, was on heavy medication for a type of terminal blood cancer at the time.
David said in September after a court appearance that Janice had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and after watching her sister die of the disease, she "knew what was coming".
David, who also tried to take his own life on the same day as killing Janice, said outside the court at the time: "She wasn't just my wife she was my best friend. It's like a black hole."
Wearing trainers, black trousers and a dark sweatshirt, David remained calm as Prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou today told the court: “What we don't want is for this case to open the way for others to kill their wives justifying that there was a precedent ... the prosecution cannot accept that Janice agreed to die in the way she did.
“It goes against logic and human experience.
“That is our main difference with the defence.
“Yes we agree that Mr Hunter wanted to relieve his wife of pain, but what we do not agree is that they had agreement ... if that is the case, where is the suicide note?"
The case has been adjourned and a “trial within a trial” over legal arguments is due to take place on Thursday before the main trial continues in the New Year.
At the trial's opening in September at the city's district court, David wept as he detailed how his life had changed since losing his "best friend".
He said: "She wasn't just my wife she was my best friend. It’s like a black hole. I used to think I could never imagine life without Janice but it’s just so much harder.
"I just live day to day. I have to keep my chin up.
"Janice's sister had died from leukaemia and she saw what was coming. She made me promise her if she ever got it to help her.
"She said I don’t want to go through that. She knew the symptoms and saw them coming."
He is alleged to have suffocated leukaemia-stricken Janice before taking an overdose of prescription pills, however he was found and survived.
Janice was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2016, and both she and David had endured heartbreak in the late 1980s that influenced their decision more than 30 years later, Lesley said.
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