Cyprus court hearing for Briton accused of killing wife adjourned to December 20

Police officers escort David Hunter into court (Petros Karadjias/AP)

A court hearing in Cyprus for a British man accused of killing his wife has been adjourned until next week following a prosecution request, his defence team said on Tuesday.

David Hunter, 75, had faced a murder charge over the death last year of his wife, Janice, although his defence lawyers had asked Cyprus’ attorney-general to reduce the charges to assisted suicide and have changed his plea to manslaughter.

His defence has said that Hunter was acting on the wishes of his wife, who they say was ill with terminal blood cancer.

A hearing had been set in the south-eastern coastal town of Paphos for Tuesday, after being adjourned on December 5.

David Hunter Case Adjourned to 20 December 2022 for Change of Plea and Mitigation:@MichaelPolakLaw https://t.co/cAojJf0pHP pic.twitter.com/ncwxXMr0CG

— JUSTICE ABROAD LTD (@expertsabroad) December 13, 2022

But the case was adjourned again, with a new date set for December 20, said Michael Polak of Justice Abroad, a group that defends Britons facing legal difficulties in foreign countries that has been handling Hunter’s case.

“We really hope the case will go ahead then,” Mr Polak said after the adjournment.

“We changed the plea to manslaughter and the court can consider their sentences in regard to David.

“We thought that was all going to happen today, but we’re really hoping that this will happen next week.”

The delay was granted so the prosecution could discuss the case with Cyprus’ attorney general, Mr Polak said.

Hunter’s wife, 74, died in December 2021 at the couple’s retirement home in Paphos, where many of the island’s up to 60,000 British expatriates live.

Mr Polak had said Janice was on heavy medication for a type of terminal blood cancer.

British media had quoted Hunter’s daughter, Lesley, as saying that her mother had “begged him for a long time (to assist her death) and was very clear about what she wanted”.

Although manslaughter carries a maximum life sentence in Cyprus, it is unlikely Hunter will receive a long prison term, state prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou said last week.

He had added that the prosecution would not object to Hunter serving any prison sentence in the UK.