A British pensioner who killed his terminally in poor health spouse in Cyprus to finish her struggling has visited her grave for the primary time the day after being free of jail.
Retired miner David Hunter was released from custody on Monday after a court docket sentenced him to 2 years in jail for the manslaughter of Janice, his partner of 52 years.
After her demise in December 2021, Mrs Hunter was buried at a cemetery minutes from the couple’s Cyprus residence in Tremithousa – a small village close to the coastal resort city of Paphos.
However Hunter, 76, has been unable to go to the grave as he was admitted to hospital instantly after Mrs Hunter’s demise following a failed suicide try, then taken into custody and prosecuted for murder.
The pensioner spent 19 months in jail earlier than being cleared of premeditated homicide however found guilty of the lesser cost of manslaughter by a three-judge panel.
He was jailed for 2 years however allowed to stroll free inside quarter-hour of being sentenced at Paphos District Courtroom because of time already served and good behaviour.
On Tuesday morning, he paid his first go to to Mrs Hunter’s grave.
He couldn’t initially discover the plot and was guided to it by Michael Polak of Justice Overseas, which represented him throughout his trial.
Carrying a bouquet of pink, purple and yellow flowers, he instantly knelt down by the grave and seemed to be silently shaking.
Hunter stayed on the website for round half an hour.
The couple’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, beforehand stated she believes, relatively than return to the UK, her father will initially select to remain in Cyprus to be close to Mrs Hunter’s grave and “say his goodbyes correctly”.
Hunter, from Ashington, Northumberland, informed his trial, which lasted for greater than a yr, that his spouse had blood most cancers and “begged him” to take her life as a result of she was in a lot ache.
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‘I am unable to describe how I am feeling’
He broke down in tears as he stated he would “by no means in one million years” have taken Mrs Hunter’s life until she had requested him to.
He confirmed the court docket how he held his fingers over his spouse’s mouth and nostril and stated he ultimately determined to grant her want after she turned “hysterical”.
The home in Tremithousa, Cyprus the place Mrs Hunter was killed by her husband
Judges heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose however medics arrived in time to avoid wasting him.
His authorized workforce had argued Hunter must be given a suspended sentence, in a case which is a authorized first within the nation.
The couple had been married for 52 years
In mitigation, his defence lawyer, Ritsa Pekri, stated his motive was to “liberate his spouse from all that she was going via because of her well being situations”.
The court docket heard it was Mrs Hunter’s “want” to die and that her husband “had solely emotions of affection for her”.