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‘I wish I could find words’: British expat guilty of wife’s mercy killing overwhelmed as he walks free

David Hunter, the British pensioner who killed his terminally ill wife in Cyprus, has been sentenced to two years after he was found guilty of manslaughter.

Janice Hunter, 74, died of asphyxiation at the couple’s retirement home near Paphos in December 2021.

Hunter, a 76-year-old former coal miner from Northumberland, admitted killing his wife but denied murder.

Undated family handout file photo of David Hunter, 74, and Janice Hunter 75, on their wedding day. Mr Hunter is expected to give evidence during his trial in Paphos, Cyprus, over death of his wife Janice, 74, who died of asphyxiation in December 2021 at the couple's retirement home near the coastal resort town. Issue date: Monday May 15, 2023.
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The couple were married for 52 years

He told a Cyprus court she had blood cancer and “begged him” to take her life because she was in so much pain.

Hunter was cleared of murdering his wife but was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter earlier this month.

Although he has been sentenced by a judge in Cyprus to two years in prison he could be freed by 18 August at the latest, according to his lawyer.

British pensioner David Hunter waves to journalists while being escorted to a police van outside a courthouse in Paphos, Cyprus July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
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British pensioner David Hunter waves to journalists while being escorted to a police van outside a courthouse in Paphos

The couple’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, told Sky News after the conviction was handed down: “I’m incredibly relieved that it’s manslaughter rather than murder.

“It’s the best we could have hoped for in the circumstances.”

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