Man freed after killing terminally ill wife who “cried and begged” him to do it

"Today’s decision was the right one."

A British man has been freed after admitting to killing his terminally ill wife. On Monday (31 July), David Hunter was sentenced to two years in jail for the manslaughter of his wife, Janice, in Cyprus in 2021. Janice, who was suffering with blood cancer, died from asphyxiation after allegedly crying and begging her husband to take her life. However, while convicted for the manslaughter, the 76-year-old was released due to the amount of time he already spent in custody awaiting the trial.

British expat David Hunter thanks his supporters after he is freed in mercy killing case in Cyprus?

See more on the story: https://t.co/w8EQ0b8Uh2 pic.twitter.com/zxVPMjw2Go — Sky News (@SkyNews) July 31, 2023

During the trial, the court heard that Mrs Hunter’s wish was to die and that her husband had nothing but "feelings of love" for his late wife having been married to her for over 50 years. Hunter’s defence laywer, Ritsa Pekri, explained that Mr Hunter's motive for the killing was to "liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions". Appearing outside the court earlier this week, the man told the press:

"I would like to say thank you to all the people who donated to me and especially my mates, my workmates. I don't know where I'd be without them. "I can't describe [how I feel]. I wish I could find words to describe it but I can't. When you're under that pressure for two years, wondering which way it was going to go, you don't know."

He and his late wife's daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, said that the news would allow the family to "grieve" after years of campaigning and fighting legal battles. She stated: “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 terms with her loss.” Michael Polak of Justice Abroad, was also elated with the news saying that "today’s decision was the right one".