A British man who admitted to killing his wife has been released from jail after spending almost two years behind bars.
In December 2021, David Hunter, 76, suffocated his wife, Janice, 74, after she begged him to do so at their home near the coastal resort town of Paphos in Cyprus.
Janice had been suffering from a rare type of blood cancer and her condition was progressively getting worse as time went on. The court heard that the 74-year-old was only eating soup and wasn't able to take care of herself in the weeks leading up to her death.
The tragic circumstances led to Janice apparently begging David to help her end her suffering, which he only agreed to do after her pleas became more and more desperate.
When asked by defense lawyer Ritsa Pekri about Janice's final days, David recalled her physical as well as her mental state of mind.
"She was crying, crying, crying, begging, begging, begging," he said as per the Independent. "She wasn’t taking any care of herself. For the last two or three weeks she could not move her arms and had trouble with her legs, she couldn’t balance.
"She was only eating soup, she couldn’t hold anything down," he added. "She lost a lot of weight. She lost so much weight that there was no flesh to put her injections in."
David also talked about the pair's "perfect" 52-year-long marriage, before getting emotional when recalling the moment he suffocated her.
"For five or six weeks before she died she was asking me to help her. She was asking me more every day," he said through tears. "In the last week she was crying and begging me. Every day she asked me a bit more intensely to do it."
According to the outlet, David was handed a two-year prison sentence on Monday but was released shortly after the sentencing, having already spent 19 months in a Cypriot prison.
Paphos District Court heard that his motive was to "liberate his wife from all that she was going through due to her health conditions," and he only agreed to do the deed after she became hysterical.
The court then heard he then tried to take his own life, but he was revived by medical personnel who arrived at the scene in time.
After hearing that her father was going to be released, David's daughter Lesley Cawthorne spoke of how difficult the past 19 months had been without her father there.
"Today is the start of us being able to rebuild our lives," she said. "Dad’s release also means we can finally grieve for my mum and I hope everyone can respect our privacy whilst we take the time to come to terms with her loss."
"So many people have worked hard and supported our efforts to bring my dad home, too many to mention but you know who you are and you know you have our deepest gratitude," she continued before adding: "The kindness and love of friends and strangers has been the thing that has kept us going and we can never thank you all enough."
When she was eventually allowed to speak to her father, she said "[It] was the most amazing thing. I feel like my heart has been put back together."
In a statement issued after the verdict was approved, director of Justice Abroad Michael Polak said his client was pleased with the result.
"The result of today’s hearing, and the court’s previous decision finding Mr Hunter not guilty of murder, is what we have been fighting for in this case and David is very pleased with the outcome today," Polak said. "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."
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