A British pensioner charged with murdering his wife in their flat in Cyprus last December is “terrified” by the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars, his daughter has said.
David Hunter, a 75-year-old former miner, allegedly suffocated his long-time partner Janice to death and then tried to take his own life.
His lawyers have claimed that Janice, Mr Hunter’s wife of 56 years, was terminally ill with blood cancer and wanted to die.
Mr Hunter’s case is due to be heard later this week by a Cypriot court, which has dismissed the defence’s attempt to change the charge to assisted suicide instead of murder.
If convicted, the 75-year-old, who has already spent more than five months in custody, would face a mandatory life sentence, which carries a minimum term of 12 years.
Speaking to Sky News, his daughter Lesley Cawthorne called on the trial’s judges to show “compassion”, arguing that her father is “not a risk to society”.
”My dad has told me what happened and I have no reason to disbelieve him or to think anything other than he’s telling me the truth,” she said.
“My mum made her wishes clear and my dad helped her,” Ms Cawthorne added. ”She just wanted it to end. She didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want treatment.”
Her mother’s quality of life was “non-existent”, her daughter claimed. “Things were very bad,” she said, listing her mother’s numerous health problems, including rheumatoid arthritis and skin cancer.
Mr Hunter’s lawyer, Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad, told Sky News that he was “surprised” the court had refused the request to try his client for assisted suicide rather than murder.
“It is quite clear to anyone who looks at the case that this is not a case where murder is the most appropriate charge,” he suggested.
