Not Guilty Plea Entered to Murder for David Hunter in Cyprus: Attorney General to be Asked to Consider Assisting Suicide Alternative

JUSTICE ABROAD

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Not Guilty Plea Entered to Murder for David Hunter in Cyprus:

Attorney General to be Asked to Consider Assisting Suicide Alternative

Justice Abroad represents Mr David Hunter, a 74-year-old British man facing murder charges in Cyprus.

Justice Abroad is working with Cypriot lawyers Nicoletta Charalambidou, an experienced human rights advocate, and Ritsa Pekri, a criminal law expert on this case.

At a hearing on 10 February 2022 in the Paphos Assize Court, sitting at the Paphos District Court building, Mr Hunter entered a not guilty plea to murder. The matter has been set down for trial beginning on 18 April 2022.  The defence team will be writing to the Cypriot Attorney General requesting that an alternative charge of assisting suicide be considered in this case. The Cypriot Parliament has recently started to discuss legalising euthanasia in Cyprus. Mr Hunter is remanded in custody in Nicosia Central Prison.

Michael Polak of Justice Abroad stated the following ‘We will be writing to the Cypriot Attorney General asking for him to consider an alternative charge of assisting suicide in this case. At a time when the Parliament of Cyprus is discussing the legalisation of euthanasia, and given the circumstances in this case, we will be submitting that assisting suicide would be a much more appropriate charge than murder which carries a mandatory life sentence.’

Janice and David Hunter’s daughter Lesley has launched a Crowd Justice campaign to fund the defence of her father and has stated the following ‘My dad devoted himself to caring for my mum. We love him very much and want to help him in any way possible. That's why we need help to pay for the legal representation which will give him the best chance possible of being allowed to return to the United Kingdom to the people who love him and who can support him through his grief. My father is in the latter stages of his life, and we just want him to be with us.’

Further information

Mr David Hunter is a retired miner from Northumberland.  After retiring, he moved to Cyprus with his wife Janice. They had been together for 56 years and were teenage sweethearts.

Over the last five years, Janice became increasingly unwell. She was suffering from blood cancer and was in a great deal of pain and her quality of life had drastically diminished. This was a terminal disease that had taken the life of her sister and the pain she was under was getting worse and worse.

She wanted to die and wanted for her suffering to be ended. When she died in their flat In Paphos in December 2021, Mr David Hunter was left stricken with grief and he tried to end his own life. He survived and has been charged with the premeditated murder of his wife.

For any questions in relation to this case please contact Justice Abroad by email at contact@JusticeAbroad.co.uk or phone on +44 (0)203 488 2316.

Notes to Editors

Justice Abroad, www.justiceabroad.co.uk has been set up to help those trying to find their way through foreign justice systems with all the associated hurdles that presents, to represent those facing gross breaches of their human rights no matter where this takes place, and to advise and assist the victims of crimes as to how to achieve justice.

Justice Abroad, run by international lawyer Michael Polak, has assembled a team of top investigators, lawyers, and support staff to provide unparalleled support, advice and guidance, legal, advocacy, and investigatory service for your Justice Abroad issues anywhere in the world.  The Justice Abroad team with their trusted international pool of multilingual experts, their networks, and media contacts and their well-documented determination to leave no stone unturned in the search for the truth and justice for families who have been denied it are here to provide that much needed support for families and individuals in their time of need.