Brit accused of murdering terminally-ill wife of 56 years has 'assisted suicide' charge rejected

The trial of David Hunter, a British man detained in prison in Cyprus on murder charges, began on 16 June but his request to have the charge changed to ‘assisted suicide’ has been rejected.

Last December, David Hunter helped his 75-year-old terminally ill wife Janice to die allegedly at her request.

The British couple were living together in Paphos, Cyprus. In their flat, she was allegedly suffocated by Mr Hunter who tried to end his own life by taking an overdose but survived.

He was charged with his wife’s murder and has pleaded not guilty. He has spent more than five months behind bars awaiting trial.

Mr Hunter, aged 75, faces a life sentence if found guilty after his request for an alternative charge of "assisting suicide" was denied.

140,000 sign petition to trigger 'assisted dying' debate

In the UK, assisted dying will be debated in the House of Commons on 4 July for the first time in two years after over 140,000 people signed a petition, lodged by Sarah Wootten, the chief executive of Dignity in Dying.

Assisted dying is prohibited in England and Wales under the Suicide Act (1961), and in Northern Ireland under the Criminal Justice Act (1966) which states that anyone who “encourages or assists a suicide” is liable to up to 14 years in prison.

Dignity in Dying is campaigning to change the law to allow assisted dying as an option for terminally ill, mentally competent adults with six months or less to live.

84% of Brits back making assisted dying legal for terminally ill

According to the organisation, 84 per cent of British people support the legalisation of assisted dying as a choice for terminally ill people in their final months. Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: “The British public has secured this debate - more than 140,000 people from right across the country have demanded that MPs give assisted dying the time and respect it deserves.

“In the two and a half years since Westminster MPs last debated this issue, the landscape of the assisted dying debate has changed dramatically."

But she warned: “There is currently no prospect of adequate time being given for a debate on assisted dying legislation in Westminster. Baroness Meacher’s [Assisted Dying] Bill ran out of time earlier this year, after the government refused to grant sufficient time for the Bill to be properly scrutinised. Until Parliament grasps this nettle, the blanket ban on assisted dying will continue to cause untold devastation to British families.

“Thousands of terminally ill people die in pain and suffering every year despite the best efforts of palliative care, with only a fortunate few able to access an assisted death overseas."

'Family members still risk prosecution' for assistance

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has indicated that terminally ill people are more than twice as likely to take their own lives than the general population. Dignity in Dying research estimates that up to 650 terminally-ill people are taking their own lives every year in the UK in lieu of the safe, legal choice of assisted dying. This is in addition to the 50 British people on average a year who travel to Switzerland for an assisted death.

Last January, the CPS launched a consultation on proposed updates to its guidance on suicide pacts and ‘mercy killings’, which carry a potential charge of manslaughter or murder. The proposals clarified that it is not in the public interest to prosecute where the deceased was seriously ill with a clear and settled wish to die and where assistance was compassionately motivated.

The chief executive of Dignity in Dying added: “Without a safe, legal option to die on their own terms at home, hundreds of terminally ill people every year are therefore taking matters into their own hands using whatever means are at their disposal, forced to die alone or beg for compassionate but illegal help from loved ones.

“In the vacuum of Parliament’s inaction, the Crown Prosecution Service has recognised that it is not in the public interest to pursue these cases, but the law remains unchanged and family members still risk prosecution for their assistance.”