Ex-Pat Coal Miner Found Not Guilty of Murder, Convicted of Manslaughter in Wife's Termination

Strategic Insights -

A British ex-pat, David Hunter, has been found not guilty of murdering his terminally ill wife, Janice, at a court in Cyprus. However, he has been convicted of manslaughter. Hunter's lawyers claimed that the act was assisted suicide at his wife's request, to end her suffering from terminal leukaemia. The court heard that Janice's doctor suggested she might not have had terminal leukaemia but a rare blood cancer, contradicting Hunter's claims. Hunter's testimony described how his wife had become progressively ill, begging him to help her end her life.

Key Takeaways:

  • David Hunter, a 75-year-old British ex-pat from Ashington, Northumberland, was found not guilty of murdering his 74-year-old wife, Janice, but convicted of manslaughter.
  • Hunter's lawyers claimed the act was assisted suicide at his wife's request, as she suffered from terminal leukaemia, but the court heard from her doctor that she might not have had terminal leukaemia, rather a rare blood cancer.
  • Mr. Hunter testified that his wife, who had to wear nappies due to severe diarrhoea and couldn't hold anything down, was in immense pain and had become "a grey colour" when he ended her life.
  • Hunter's defense team argued that he was suffering from dissociation and needed a psychiatric assessment, but the court found him to be lucid at the time of the incident.
  • Mr. Hunter made a call to his brother after the incident, stating that he was also going to kill himself.
  • Janice Hunter's illness had resulted in significant weight loss, making it difficult for her to receive injections, and she had suffered from severe diarrhoea for three-and-a-half years before her death.

Statistics:

  • David and Janice Hunter were married for 52 years and had a long life together.
  • Janice had been suffering from a rare blood cancer, possibly not terminal leukaemia as claimed by her husband.
  • 57 years is the length of time David and Janice had been married before the incident.
  • Janice required nappies for three-and-a-half years before her death due to severe diarrhoea.
  • David Hunter's daughter, Lesley, appeared in the media after her father's court appearance in Cyprus.

Sources:

  • (Text from the original article)