Daughter of man charged with murdering wife in Cyprus says she feels likes she's lost both parents

The daughter of a Northumberland man who will stand trial for murder in Cyprus, says she 'just wants her daddy back.'

British man David Hunter, 74, is in custody facing trial in April accused of killing his 75-year-old wife Janice at their flat in Paphos in December. His lawyers are currently trying to have the charge changed to assisting suicide.

His lawyers said they had been together for 56 years, but Mrs Hunter was suffering from terminal blood cancer and had wanted to die.

They said her husband tried to take his own life but survived and was charged with murder.

Hunter entered a not guilty plea to a charge of murder at Paphos District Court on Thursday, February 10.

The couple originally from Ashington would have been marking their 20th anniversary in Cyprus this year. 

Now, his daughter Lesley Cawthorne has spoken to us about the pain and suffering this has brought her.

She told us: "I’ve lost my mum and I feel like I am losing my dad.

"We just want to do all we can for him.

"I want to just implore the attorney general to show us kindness and compassion. Justice is not being serviced by locking him up for the rest of his days."It has been awful. It was such a shock. It was the most horrendous, shocking and frightening time."

Lesley has launched an online crowdfunding campaign on the Crowd Justice website to raise money for her father's defence.

Kevin Barnfather, a friend and former colleague of Dave Hunter has also spoken to us, saying: "They were such a devoted couple - he was the most respected man in Ellington. "He'd worked down the mine since he was 15. He was a grafter. "I've spoken to him a few times in prison. All I can say is he loved her."

British barrister Michael Polak, from the Justice Abroad organisation representing Hunter, said: "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."

A spokeswoman said the Cypriot Law Office was not able to comment on pending cases.