David Hunter verdict: Brit expat found not guilty of murdering his cancer-stricken wife in Cyprus ‘mercy killing’ trial

A BRITISH pensioner who killed his terminally ill wife after she “cried and begged” him to do it has today been cleared of murder. David Hunter, 76, has instead been found guilty of manslaughter after smothering his cancer-stricken wife Janice in Cyprus. FacebookDavid Hunter has been cleared of murdering his terminally ill wife Janice[/caption] PAThe British grandad had told a court his wife begged him to end her life as she suffered from cancer[/caption] A judge today ruled there was no proof that Hunter had premeditated the murder – sparing him a life sentence. The retired miner, from Northumberland, had previously admitted to using his bare hands to smother wife of 56 years Janice in December 2021. Janice, who was 74, died of asphyxiation at their home near the coastal resort town of Paphos. But Hunter insisted he only agreed to do it after she “begged me for weeks” to end her excruciating pain from advanced leukemia. In May, Hunter broke down in tears as he told his trial that he would “never in a million years” have taken Janice’s life unless she had asked him to. He added: “She wasn’t just my wife, she was my best friend.” PAThe couple were teenage sweethearts and were together for more than 50 years[/caption] PAHunter told the court his relationship with Janice was ‘perfect’[/caption] THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY… The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.