Brit freed from jail after mercy killing of wife to spend Christmas by her grave
A Briton freed from jail this year after the mercy killing of his ill wife in Cyprus will spend Christmas by her graveside near the sunshine home they shared together.
David Hunter, 76, was released on July 31 after spending 19-months in a Nicosia Prison, following the death of his childhood sweetheart Janice on December 18, 2021. He was cleared of premeditated murder and found guilty of manslaughter but was released on time served.
David told Paphos District Court during his trial that he smothered Janice, 74, after she had begged him for weeks to end her life such was her suffering from terminal blood cancer. David is still living in Cyprus and is unable to return to visit family in the UK because the Cypriot Attorney General has appealed his conviction and sentence, with a hearing expected by May.
The Mirror was with him when he was finally able to visit Janice’s grave after he was released from prison in the summer. On Christmas Day he will spend time with Janice at the very same place, in a cemetery near the village of Tremithousa, where they lived together. David, from Ashington in Northumberland, has used some pension money, released to him after he was freed in the summer, to buy a headstone for his wife.
His daughter Lesley Cawthorne, 51, said: “My dad wants to be on his own at Christmas, he just wants to spend time with my mum at the grave. He has options but that’s all he wants. The first thing he did with a bit of pension he had coming was to get a gravestone erected. That was his priority when he got out.
Russian model killed after calling Putin a 'psychopath' was strangled by her ex
“He wants it to be quiet and to be with mum - she loved Christmas. They spent so many Christmases together. Last Christmas he was in prison and the one before he was in a psychiatric ward, and the one before was lockdown. It doesn’t feel like a celebration because my mum’s not with us and we’re all deeply traumatised, plus we have the appeal coming up.
David Hunter, 76, was released on July 31 after spending 19-months in a Nicosia Prison, following the death of his childhood sweetheart Janice in December last year“But we’re in a better place than we were this time last year and this time two years ago, and dad’s still with us and is a free man at the moment.”
David, a former miner, and Janice were married for 52 years and retired to Cyprus. But after many happy years on the island, Janice became ill with a form of blood cancer and her health rapidly deteriorated. In May this year, the court heard heartbreaking testimony from David as he described the moment he ended Janice’s suffering.
He broke down in tears as he remembered how Janice “cried and begged” for him to kill her as she became more ill. He refused to do so until one day he agreed in the hope it would calm her. He insisted he had no intention of carrying out the act. But nine days later, on December 18 2021, David pressed his hands over his wife’s mouth and nose.
The dedication to Janice (Humphrey Nemar)David wept as he told the court: “Fifty seven years - the last thing I would want to do is to kill my wife. It was her decision that she wanted to die, not mine - hers. It was her decision that she didn’t want any more treatment. She has her own mind and she asked me. I would never in a million years have done it. She wasn’t just my wife - she was my best friend. I didn’t just decide to kill her. I loved her so much. I still love her. You don’t know what we went through. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
Reflecting on the case, Lesley, who cannot travel to Cyprus because of a health condition, said: “It’s been the worst two years of our lives. I look back and I don’t really know if we’ve really registered that it was our life. It was a normal life, leading up to Christmas, and then everything just changed.”
He plans to attend on Christmas Day (Humphrey Nemar)She wanted to thank those who helped fund David’s legal team. “Especially at Christmas, we’re so grateful to all the people - friends, strangers - who got us through it to this point,” she said. “Without them, dad would not be free today and he might not still be with us. One person sent us three pound coins attached to a piece of card, apologising as it was all they had remaining in their pension that month. They said dad was a good man and they hoped he’d be free soon.
“I have no idea who it was but it moved me so much. I want to thank that person, and everybody, for all the efforts which meant we could get dad out of jail. Mum always made Christmas magical and I hope it can be like that for all those who have helped us so, so much.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
