An Ashington pensioner who was arrested and charged over his terminally ill wife's death in Cyprus will no longer face a murder trial- after a deal was reached with the prosecuting party, it has been reported.
75-year-old David Hunter was initially charged with the murder of his wife Janice, 74, who died at the couple's retirement home in Paphos, December 2021.
According to Justice Abroad - a group who assist people navigate foreign justice systems - who had been working with David's lawyers, the parties informed the Paphos Assize Court that an agreement had been struck regarding the facts of the case during a hearing, Friday (November 18).
Read more: Jailed Ashington pensioner accused of 'mercy killing' begging to visit wife's grave
Earlier this year, Mr Hunter's daughter Lesley told The Mirror that her mother had 'begged him for a long time (to assist her death) and was very clear about what she wanted'. Justice Abroad say that Mrs Hunter had been suffering from blood cancer, with the disease becoming terminal.
Mr Hunter would be entering a plea to manslaughter on December 5, they said. Now they reveal that they are hopeful that the legal moves will lead to Mr Hunter seeing a release from prison, able to move home after the next hearing.
The organisation said it is working with Cypriot lawyers Nicoletta Charalambidou and Ritsa Pekri to help Mr Hunter, a former miner from Northumberland. Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad, said: "We are very pleased that the murder charge is no longer on the table as our objective all along has been to get David out of prison and back home as soon as possible.
"At the next hearing David's strong mitigation, such as his good character and long and loving relationship with his wife, will be put before the court.
"We hope, given the particular facts of this case, and case law in similar cases from around the world, that the eventual sentence is one that the court could consider suspending.
"We thank everyone from the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and around the world for their support of David and his family at this difficult time."
Read next:
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