A British pensioner is set to plead guilty to the manslaughter of his terminally ill wife in Cyprus as the murder charge he faced is “no longer on the table”, his lawyer has said.
David Hunter has been on trial over the death of 75-year-old Janice Hunter on the island in December 2021.
The former miner from Northumberland admits killing Mrs Hunter but his legal team have argued it was an assisted suicide, not murder.
Mrs Hunter, who had terminal blood cancer, was suffocated by her husband who then tried to end his own life by taking an overdose.
A trial at Paphos District Court was postponed last month after Mr Hunter’s lawyers asked for the murder charge against him to be reduced to manslaughter.
A previous request for a charge of assisted suicide was rejected by the Cypriot attorney general.
At a hearing on Friday, the prosecution and defence announced they had agreed facts in the case and Mr Hunter will enter a guilty plea to manslaughter on 5 December, according to Justice Abroad, which is representing the Briton.
Image: Lawyers for Mr Hunter asked for a murder charge to be reduced to manslaughter. Pic: Lesley Cawthorne
Michael Polak, director of Justice Abroad, said: “We are very pleased that the murder charge is no longer on the table as our objective all along has been to get David out of prison and back home as soon as possible.
“At the next hearing David’s strong mitigation, such as his good character and long and loving relationship with his wife, will be put before the court.
“We hope given the particular facts of this case, and case law in similar cases from around the world, that the eventual sentence is one that the court could consider suspending.”
Mr Polak said he expected sentencing to take place before Christmas and that if Mr Hunter receives a suspended sentence, the Briton will be allowed to return to the UK.
Image: Janice and David Hunter pictured on their wedding day. Pic: Lesley Cawthorne
Speaking before the hearing, the Hunters’ daughter Lesley Cawthorne told Sky News: “It’s making the best – a poor best – of a very bad situation.
“If it’s a murder charge and he’s found guilty, it’s a mandatory life sentence. There’s no wriggle room there. There’s no room for leniency.
“With a manslaughter charge, there is the potential… for them to be more lenient.”
Mrs Cawthorne has said her father insists his wife made clear that she “wanted it to end” because she did not want a “long, protracted death”.
Image: Lesley Cawthorne (L) pictured with her parents at Italy’s Lake Garda in 1988. Pic: Lesley Cawthorne
She said Mr Hunter was “haunted” by memories of her mother “screaming in pain” during her battle with cancer and a catalogue of other health problems.
Mr and Mrs Hunter, who had been together for 56 years and were teenage sweethearts, had moved to Cyprus 20 years ago after their retirement.
Following his arrest, Mrs Cawthorne said her father had been held in a prison cell with up to 11 other men.
Euthanasia is illegal in Cyprus, although the country’s parliament has begun debating changes to the law.
A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title parade faces 24 new charges.
More than 130 people, including children, were injured when Paul Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy vehicle into hordes of fans at the celebrations on 26 May.
The 53-year-old, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of dangerous driving.
Six of the new alleged offences relate to babies, including one six-month-old and one seven-month-old, proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.
The new indictment, which was not read out in court, now has 31 counts relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.
Doyle now faces 18 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray.
He appeared in court via video link from prison and was in tears.
Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.
Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.
The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.
Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.
It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.
Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.
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Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.
Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.
“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.
A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.
Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.
Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.
He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.
Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.
Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.