Man cleared of murdering wife 'not getting his hopes up' ahead of sentencing
David Hunter has been in custody for 19 months and is due to be sentenced for manslaughter on Monday
Last updated 27th Jul 2023
A retired miner from Ashington is preparing to face Cypriot judges, where he will face sentencing for the manslaughter of his terminally ill wife.
76 year old David Hunter was cleared of the more serious charge of premeditated murder at a court in Paphos in Cyprus, where the couple had moved to retire.
He's due to be sentenced on Monday.
The pensioner had been on trial for killing his wife of 52 years, Janice, who died of asphyxiation at their home in December 2021.
Hunter told the court that she had "cried and begged" him to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.
His legal team will be arguing that he should have been given a suspended sentenced and that there is "no point in keeping him in prison any longer"
The couples daughter Lesley Cawthorne - who lives in Norfolk - said the family was "apprehensive" ahead of the sentencing hearing, which starts on Thursday and is expected to last at least two days.
Ms Cawthorne said her father had been "quietly relieved" since last week's verdict, but was "not especially" hopeful about his sentence.
"He doesn't want to allow himself to get his hopes up, he's grateful that the judges seem to have understood what they went through and believe that he acted out of love."
Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad, which is representing Hunter, said "In this case we are putting forward case law form across common law jurisdictions such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom given that no cases such as this have ever been dealt with in Cyprus. In these jurisdictions, the courts have found that suspended sentences are appropriate where the facts are similar to those in David's case."
Last week the court found in David's favour on all matters including that Janice had requested that he help her die, that he had acted because of his love for her, and that he then tried to end his own life.
"We will be submitting to the court that a suspended sentence is appropriate in this case, given the type of offence, David's age, the fact that he has spent 19 months in custody, and his previous good character.
In May, Hunter broke down in tears as he told his trial, which lasted more than a year, that he would "never in a million years" have taken his wife's life unless she had asked him to.