David Hunter worked as a miner in Northumberland for 40 years before retiring to Cyprus with his wife Janice. But now the 74-year-old is accused of her murder in December. He insists it was his sick wife’s wish to die. David, who is currently in prison in the Cypriot capital Nicosia, is said to have drowned Janice, who was suffering from leukemia, before taking an overdose of prescription pills. However, he was found and survived. Now their daughter Lesley Cawthorne, 49, who supports her father, revealed his anxiety in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, as he faces a life sentence, unless the charge is reduced to assisted death. Read more: Retired Northumberland miner denies killing his wife in Cyprus Speaking to her from prison, David told her last week: “I do not know how to live without her. “I’m Janice’s husband and without her, I really do not know who I am.” He says he acted out of love for Janice, who would turn 76 on March 30, the 57th anniversary of the couple’s first acquaintance at a pub in Ashington. Leslie said her mother had “begged” David to end her pain. David Hunter said he wanted to commit suicide as he could not live without his late wife, Janis (Image: Albanpix.com) When Lesley first spoke to her father on a sob call as he lay in a Paphos hospital in December, he told her: “I’m very sorry, I love you, but I want to be with your mom. “I’m very sorry, but as soon as I get the chance, I will commit suicide.” Leslie begged him not to do so, saying he could not lose them both. “There are people out there doing bad things,” he says. “All my dad did was love someone.” Janice was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2016. Both she and David had suffered fractures in the late 1980s that influenced their decision more than 30 years later, Leslie explained. Janice’s sister, Kath, died of leukemia, and Janice vowed not to suffer the same pain if she suffered a similar fate. David’s mother, Rachel, died of ovarian cancer, and Leslie remembers asking her son, “Just stop David, I’m so tired.” Lesley told the Mirror how her dad “talks to mom every night” from his cell, which he shares with nine other men. He dreams of his wife screaming in pain as the cancer in her blood took over. Lesley said: “He loved her. The only thing he cared about was giving his family a nice life. Now that it ‘s over, there’ s a real chance he’ll die alone in a foreign prison. “I can not stand the thought that someone thinks badly of my dad, because my dad is really the most handsome of men.” Read more related articles Read more related articles Lesley, a compliance consultant, calls her dad every day. “He is sad and very lonely,” he said. But at his best, he says he longs to go back to Ashington and walk to the beach. “She talks about mom all the time. He tries to remember the good moments and recalls the family vacations “. David and Janice Hunter met in Ashington and have been married for 52 years (Image: Albanpix.com) The Janice family side fully supports David, Lesley said. “They just want him home – they love him. Mom begged him for a long time (to help her die) and was very clear about what she wanted. “He was very much of the opinion that we have autonomy over our body.” Read more related articles Read more related articles David had told Leslie that Janice had asked him to help her die, but she said: “My dad was very good at reassuring me. “They never understand how bad it was.” She says her parents suffered from Covid lockdowns, which she claims made it more difficult to get medical help. David will face life in prison in Cyprus for manslaughter, while assisted suicide carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. He pleaded not guilty to murder in a February court in Cyprus. Lesley raises funds for legal fees through the Crowd Justice website with a total amount of £ 14,000 so far. But time is running out, as David’s trial in Paphos begins on April 18. Read more related articles Read more related articles Michael Polak, of Justice Abroad, based in the United Kingdom, represents David. The team sent a letter to the island’s attorney general requesting that the charge be downgraded. “We will do everything we can to get back to David’s house,” he said. “It is in the public interest not to spend the rest of his life in prison. “No one I have spoken to in Cyprus believes that David Hunter should be tried for murder.” David’s Hunter’s daughter, Lesley Cawthorne, fights for her father’s freedom (Image: Albanpix.com) Police were at Lesley’s door in Norwich on December 18 to explain the situation in Cyprus. David had called his brother after an overdose and asked him to “take care of Leslie”. His brother contacted the UK police, who contacted Interpol and David was soon found. It is not clear if a note was left as items taken from the house have not yet been given to the defense. The next day, David explained to Leslie that her mom was in constant agony and felt that she had lost all her dignity. Read more related articles Read more related articles
