A retired British miner who killed his terminally ill wife in Cyprus has walked free despite being given a jail sentence after a court ruled his 19 months in custody was sufficient.
David Hunter, 76, was told on Monday he would have to serve two years behind bars for the manslaughter of his wife Janice.
The 76-year-old had been on trial for killing his spouse of 52 years, Janice, who died of asphyxiation at their home near the coastal resort town of Paphos in December 2021.
The pensioner, from Ashington, Northumberland, was cleared of the more serious charge of premeditated murder after telling the court she “cried and begged” him to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.
In May, tearful Hunter told his trial he would “never in a million years have taken his wife’s life unless she had asked him to”.
He said: “She wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend.”
He showed the court how he held his wife’s mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her wish after she became “hysterical”.
The court heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, but medics arrived in time to save him.
On Monday, judges at Paphos District Court imposed a two-year jail sentence on Hunter. He has already served the majority of his sentence having spent 19 months in custody.
Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad, which is representing Hunter, said that in Cyprus a defendant will spend 10 months in custody for every year that they are jailed.
Hunter’s legal team had argued he should be given a suspended sentence as there is “no point in keeping him in prison any longer”.
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”.
Following his release, Hunter’s daughter Lesley Cawthorne said: “I’m elated and relieved that my darling dad has been released. The past 19 months have been a living nightmare for our family but today is the start of us being able to rebuild our lives.
“Dad’s release also means we can finally grieve for my mum and I hope everyone can respect our privacy whilst we take the time to come to terns with her loss.
“So many people have worked hard and supported our efforts to bring my dad home, too many to mention but you know who you are and you know you have our deepest gratitude.
“The kindness and love of friends and strangers has been the thing that has kept us going and we can never thank you all enough.”
After speaking to Hunter over the phone, Ms Cawthorne added: “Speaking to my daddy was the most amazing thing. I feel like my heart has been put back together.”
