Cyprus trial of UK man: Was it murder or assisted suicide?

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The trial of a British man charged with the premeditated murder of his ill wife in Cyprus’ coastal resort town of Paphos was pushed back Thursday until September, with defense lawyers arguing that David Hunter should instead be charged with assisting a suicide. He said Cyprus’ Attorney General George Savvides rejected a defense request to reduce the charge to assisted suicide, which would likely have kept Hunter out of jail. Speaking to the U.K. newspaper The Mirror, Hunter’s daughter Lesley said that her mother had “begged him for a long time and was very clear about what she wanted.” But Hadjikyrou, the state prosecutor, said there’s no tangible evidence — like a written note — to suggest that Hunter’s wife had ever asked him specifically to help her die. He also disputed that there was a medical diagnosis proving that Janice Hunter suffered from leukemia or “blood cancer.” The prosecutor said defense attorneys turned down a deal to have Hunter plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter that would have resulted in a prison sentence of only a few years.