Man who killed terminally ill wife says 'she begged him' on first TV appearance since prison release

A man who killed his terminally ill wife has spoken out following his release from prison.

Last week, David Hunter was freed from prison in Cyprus after spending 19 months behind bars for the death of his wife, Janice.

The pair were together for 52 years, but in December 2021, Mr Hunter killed his wife and attempted to take his own life.

In 2016, Mrs Hunter was diagnosed with cancer, which eventually left her needing round the clock care.

Speaking following his release from prison, Mr Hunter said that he never wanted to kill his wife but she 'begged' him to.

"I couldn't take my wife's life," he told Good Morning Britain.

"I kept saying no. I said, 'Keep fighting. I don't want to hurt you,' and she replied: 'You can't hurt me any more than the pain I have now."'

ITV

He went on: "She kept asking me. I kept refusing. In the last two weeks she was pressuring me, begging me and at one point became quite hysterical.

"And I said, 'Ok. I'll help you. But I won't tell you when and I won't tell you how'. But I didn't want to do it. I hoped that it would pacify her and she would change her mind. But she didn't."

A panel in Cyprus last week sentenced Mr Hunter to two years in prison for manslaughter, and ruled that he should be released for time already served.

During mitigation, 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’ and that it was her ‘wish’ to die.

She added that Hunter ‘had only feelings of love for her’.

While speaking to the judges, Hunter broke down in tears and claimed he ‘never in a million years’ would have taken his wife’s life unless she had asked him to do so.

However, he only gave in to her demands when she became ‘hysterical’.

Family handout

Providing the sentence, Judge Michalis Droussiotis said: "Before us is a unique case of taking human life on the basis of feelings of love, with the aim of relieving a person of their suffering that came due to their illness."

Mr Hunter said that he was shocked by the decision and expected to spend a further five years behind bars.

The 76-year-old visited his wife's grave the morning after he was released from prison.

He was unable to do so following her death as he was taken to hospital following a suicide attempt and was arrested shortly after.

Carrying a bouquet of pink, purple and yellow flowers, the widower immediately knelt down by the grave and appeared to be silently shaking.

David and Janice's daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, believes her dad will likely stay in Cyprus for a while so he can be closer to his late wife and 'say his goodbyes properly'.

Following his release, Lesley said she was overjoyed to see her dad a free man.

“Speaking to my daddy was the most amazing thing. I feel like my heart has been put back together," she said.