Cyprus court hands British man a 2-year prison term for killing his ailing wife to spare her pain

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Cyprus court has sentenced a British man who killed his ailing wife in their retirement home to two years in prison, rejecting a defense request to hand down a suspended sentence after convicting him earlier of manslaughter. State prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou said Monday the three-judge bench imposed the prison term as a “deterrent.” But the judges had earlier ruled that David Hunter’s decision to suffocate his wife Janice in December 2021 was a made on the spur of the moment because he could no longer stand seeing her weeping in pain. Hadjikyrou said the court took into account that 76-year-old Hunter acted “out of love” to save his wife from suffering from a blood ailment. Defense lawyers said their client could be released by Aug. 18.