21 July 2023 , 11:23
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A blue notebook and pen found in David Hunter’s house proved to be one of the keys to the decision to clear him of premeditated murder of his terminally ill wife Janice.
The 76-year-old British ex-pat was today found not guilty of the murder of his wife of 52 years and with it a mandatory life sentence, and was instead found guilty of manslaughter.
Judges were blown away by Mr Hunter's heartbreaking testimony in May but an apparent suicide note written by the former coal miner from Ashington, Northumberland, also had a huge impact on the unanimous decision.
The note read: “My wife is in so much pain. She has asked me to help her, so we did this together.” The judges found there was not enough evidence to prove premeditated murder, also citing he tried to kill himself with a concoction of drugs after suffocating Janice.
Judge Michalis Droussiotis said: “He loved his wife of 52 years and looked after her during difficult times. He did something he never before thought he would be capable of doing. The immediate arrival of the police and the fact he was taken to hospital saved him.”
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The discovery of the notebook, the contents of which have previously not been revealed, proved he was not out to kill Janice, 74, who had a rare blood cancer, but to end her suffering, judges said.
David Hunter’s daughter Lesley appeared on British TV this morning (BBC)Judge Droussiotis said premeditation must be proven as a motive for death, and it must be proved the act was studied. It must be the result of an act “that was thought of and executed in cold.”
There is a chance Mr Hunter could be freed next week when he is due for sentencing on July 27. But because it is such a landmark case - the first of its kind in Cyprus - that is unclear at this stage.
Former miner Pal Barry Kent, 67, who travelled from Northumberland to support his pal, embraced him after the decision. He said: "What can I say? We’ve got the best outcome we could have hoped for. Now I just want to spend some time with him, here or at home, have a beer and a chat.
“He needs a good feed - he’s a bag of bones. He needs a Full English. Those here for him, including friends from his village, show how much support he has.”