Man did not tell terminally ill wife he would kill her, court hears

British husband accused of murdering his terminally ill wife did not tell her he was about to kill her in case she changed her mind about ‘assisted suicide’, Cyprus court hears

• Psychiatrist Katerina Stylianiduo examined David Hunter after his wife’s death
• She says he revealed to her that he had not told his wife he was about to kill her

A pensioner accused of murdering his terminally ill wife did not tell her he was about to kill her in case she changed her mind about the ‘assisted suicide’, a court in Cyprus has heard.

David Hunter from Northumberland previously admitted to killing his wife Janice, who had been suffering from terminal blood cancer, before attempting to take his own life.

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

Lawyers for the 75-year-old retired miner claim Mrs Hunter’s death was assisted suicide and that she had begged her husband to end her life.

Now Paphos District Court has been told by clinical psychiatrist Katerina Stylianiduo that Mr Hunter had not told his wife what he was about to do, in case she had a change of heart.

Former Northumberland coal miner David Hunter, 75, (pictured arriving at Paphos District Court in Cyprus in March) is standing trial in Cyprus for premeditated murder after a plea deal on the lesser charge of manslaughter collapsed

Ms Stylianiduo examined Mr Hunter shortly after his wife had died.

The defence asked the psychiatrist whether she explained to him that she may appear as a court witness at a later date.

She responded that she did not feel there was a need to do so at that point.

Mr Hunter has so far been in custody on the island for 16 months and told the BBC he was ‘confused’ about the hearing in Paphos today.

Last month, a judge ruled that the statements he made immediately after his wfie’s death without a lawyer present were ‘lucid’.

His defence team had argued that his confession to her killing should be inadmissible as evidence in the trial, and that he was suffering from ‘disassociation’.

They say he gave the statements in a 72-hour period where he had not been psychologically assessed and so was unable to understand that he could have a lawyer present.

Mr Hunter’s daughter Lesley, 50, hit out at the ‘devastating’ verdict.

She made a heartbreaking video call to her father moments after the alleged killing, which was played out to court.

David Hunter, 75, (left) is accused of murdering his wife of 46 years, Janice (right), at their home in Paphos, in December 2021. She was suffering from terminal cancer

Pictured:  David Hunter (right) is seen with his wife Janice (centre) and their daughter Lesley

It showed Mr Hunter slumped in a chair and unresponsive as his daughter begged him not to kill himself.

Lesley said: ‘I am devastated and struggling to understand how someone can be judged to be ‘lucid’ when they didn’t even recognise their daughter of 50 years.

READ MORE: British woman begged her father not to kill himself after he suffocated her terminally-ill mother at their Cyprus home

Lesley Hunter told her father David Hunter, 75, ‘you can’t leave me’ after the death of her mother

‘My dad had taken every pill in the house and downed alcohol. I am baffled at how they could reach such a decision, it doesn’t make sense.’

Michael Polak, of Justice Abroad, who is representing the retired Northumberland miner and previously fought for the British woman falsely accused of making up rape charges in nearby Ayia Napa, slammed the decision.

He told the Mail: ‘David was shocked and dejected by this ruling.

‘We brought a top forensic psychiatrist from Britain to give evidence, but his evidence was totally ignored by the court.

‘We were shocked by this, but we are getting to use to it as during the Ayia Napa case all foreign experts at trial level were rejected.

‘As regards to his rights to a lawyer, for evidence to be taken from a suspect there needs to be an unequivocal reading of the right to a lawyer.’

Mr Hunter remains on trial for premeditated murder after a plea deal on the lesser charge of manslaughter collapsed. 

Earlier in the trial, it had appeared that a plea bargain would be reached that would see the British grandfather released after admitting the lesser charge of manslaughter. 

But in an apparent 11th hour change the prosecution pushed ahead with pre-meditated murder. 

Mr and Mrs Hunter had been married for 46 years, and moved from Ashington, Northumberland, to Paphos 20 years ago. 

The trial continues on Monday when the prosecution is set to hear from another psychiatrist who examined Mr Hunter following the killing.

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