British expat David Hunter who killed terminally ill wife in Cyprus handed two-year sentence for manslaughter

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.

But Hunter was released on Monday after Cypriot prison authorities officially calculated his release date, his legal team have said.

The 76-year-old has already spent 19 months in custody so has already served the majority of his sentence, according to Michael Polak, the director of Justice Abroad.

Mr Polak, whose organisation is representing Hunter, said that in Cyprus a defendant will spend 10 months in custody for every year they are jailed.

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

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

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.

Lesley Cawthorne – the daughter of David and Janice Hunter – told Sky News she had spoken to her father on FaceTime after the sentencing hearing.

She said she and her father were “elated, stunned and deeply, deeply grateful” following his release.

Mr Polak said Hunter’s legal team were “very pleased” with the sentence.

“The sentencing exercise was not a simple one given that a case like this has never come before the courts of Cyprus before,” Mr Polak said.

He added: “We submitted extensive sentencing case law from across the common law world, from Australia to Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to assist the court in coming to a decision which was fair.

“The result of today’s hearing, and the court’s previous decision finding Hunter not guilty of murder, is what we have been fighting for in this case and David is very pleased with the outcome today.

“David would like to thank his legal team for their work, the experts who supported his case, and everyone from Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and around the world who has supported him.

“This has been a tragic case and difficult for all of those involved with it, but today’s decision was the right one and allows David and his family to grieve together.”

Hunter told his trial, which lasted more than a year, that his wife “cried and begged” him to end her life.

He broke down in tears as he said he would “never in a million years” have taken Mrs Hunter’s life unless she had asked him to.

He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife’s mouth and nose and said he eventually decided to grant her wish after she became “hysterical”.

The court heard he then tried to kill himself by taking an overdose, but medics arrived in time to save him.

His legal team had argued Hunter should be given a suspended sentence, in a case which is a legal first in the country.

In mitigation last week, his defence lawyer, Ritsa Pekri, said his motive was to “liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions”.

The court heard it was Mrs Hunter’s “wish” to die and that her husband “had only feelings of love for her”.

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.”