Brit, 75, accused of murdering wife in Cyprus 'destitute' and unable to appeal
The British pensioner accused of murdering his terminally ill wife in Cyprus has been left so ‘destitute’ he will not be able to appeal a guilty verdict today.
David Hunter, 75, learns this morning whether he will languish in prison for the rest of his life for ending the suffering of his childhood sweetheart Janice, 74.
But the spiralling costs of his agonising 19-month trial have cost him his entire savings – and means he has no means to fight if the judge rules against him.
It has also left him unable to afford to make phone calls to friends in prison and having to survive off the meagre rations offered up free of charge.
Mr Hunter arriving at Paphos District Court in Cyprus this morning“It just breaks my heart,” said his daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, 50. “When my mum was still alive he had a home, a car and money in the bank. Now he’s got a carrier bag with his clothes – that’s all he’s got.”
Brit facing life in jail for killing ill wife vows to stay in Cyprus if freed
Mr Hunter faces a mandatory life sentence if he is found guilty of pre-meditated murder and will have 10 days to launch an appeal.
But a crowdfunder for his defence is empty and he has run up thousands of pounds of debt fighting the case to date.
Mrs Cawthorne said: ‘I don’t know what we are going to do. He said he wants to appeal, he said, “We have to, I can’t spend the rest of my life here.”
“I honestly don’t know what we are going to do. I don’t know where we are going to get the money from. It’s going to be thousands.”
Mr Hunter had struck up a friendship with British cellmate Owen Williams, 27. But after Mr Williams was released three months ago he has been left locked up with 11 other hardened criminals who don’t speak a word of English.
His only chance to speak is by his phone, but he can now only afford to make occasional calls to his daughter.
She said: ‘He’s got nobody to speak to. He’s not been able to phone people.
“He’s not allowed to take calls, he has to pay to make them himself. He hasn’t been able to speak to his brother for a while, or his friends Barry and Kevin. He just speaks to me.
“It’s absolutely devastating.”
Mr Hunter wants to pay his last respects to his wife if he is freed today.
Daughter begs father to stay alive moments after he kills terminally ill wife
The retired Northumberland miner was forced to treat her for terminal blood cancer at home with injections due to Covid restrictions as she deteriorated in front of his eyes.
In her last days she was crying out in agony 24 hours a day, unable to move from their sofa or take painkillers as she pleaded with him to kill her.
He finally relented and took her life on December 18, 2021. He tried to take a drug overdose, but authorities arrived, pumped his stomach and put him on trial for premeditated murder.
Mrs Cawthorne said: “He wants to see my mum. He wants to sit and talk to her. He needs that for his mental health.
“I think if he was offered to be released but he could not visit her and had to go straight back he would refuse. He just wants to visit my mum.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
