A retired British miner who murdered his spouse after she “begged him to cry” could possibly be freed after her homicide was quashed by a Cypriot decide.
David Hunter, 76, was convicted of manslaughter in December 2021 for killing his 52-year-old accomplice, Janice, as she was dying of leukemia.
Janice, 74, died of suffocation at her house close to the seaside resort city of Pephos.
Hunter denied premeditated homicide, which carries a compulsory life sentence.
He shall be sentenced on July 27.
Michael Pollack, the director of overseas justice, advised the PA information company that he could also be given a suspended sentence and could possibly be launched from jail in gentle of the sentence.
In Might, Hunter broke down in tears as he spoke to the jury.
“She was not solely my spouse however my finest pal,” he added.
He confirmed the court docket how he put his arms over his spouse’s mouth and nostril and eventually determined to indulge her after she turned “hysterical”.
Hunter, from Ashington in Northumberland, stated: “She was asking me to assist her for 5 or 6 weeks earlier than she died. Daily she requested me extra.
“Final week she was crying and begging me. She asks me rigorously to do it day by day.
Earlier than he completed giving his proof, he requested the decide to talk to him. He stated, “My spouse was struggling. She actually stated, ‘I do not wish to dwell anymore’; I nonetheless do not wish to.
“Then she began to develop into clear. I hoped she would change her thoughts. I cherished her very a lot. I did not plan it; I swear to God.
After giving proof, he advised reporters that his time in a Cyprus jail was “nothing” in comparison with the final six months of Janice’s life.
Hunter advised the court docket he tried to kill himself after his spouse died.
On the trial, the prosecutor stated, “He determined to kill her and there was no mutual consent.”
In his closing arguments in June, the protection crew argued that the case was not a premeditated homicide and that Hunter “acted on his personal” to take his spouse’s life “when she begged him to take action.”
In addition they argued that he was affected by dissociation on the time of his alleged confession throughout his arrest.
A decide dismissed the applying as a result of he discovered Hunter to be sane.
On Wednesday, the couple’s daughter, Leslie Cawthorne, advised the PA information company that her father was “confused, drained and lonely” and that the previous “19 months had taken a toll on him.”
“I believe the hope is gone from him,” she added.
“He may inform different folks he is retaining his chin up, however I can see how a lot he is struggling.”
The three-judge panel handed down its verdict following a prolonged trial.