David Hunter, now 76, with his defense lawyer Ritsa Pekri, continued the case of the homicide of his 75-year-old wife, Janice, on Thursday.

The Court set Monday, July 31 at 10:00 a.m. as the date of sentencing.

In her speech, Ms. Pekri said that the defendant acted under emotional charge, because according to the finding of the respected Court, the defendant committed the offense motivated by feelings of love and compassion towards his wife who suffered from many pains and she asked him to help her redeem herself.

She added that the jurisprudence recognizes that the emotional intensity of the offender when committing the crime is a mitigating factor of the sentence, noting that the reason lies in the weakening due to the intensity of his self-control.

Ms. Pekri noted that further today her client is 76 years old and has not committed any other offence. This element, as the jurisprudence recognizes, Ms. Pekri said, is particularly taken into account since,  a person's clean criminal record is the "savings" of his life, which he can invoke and use in the appropriate case.

The lawyer noted that the defendant admitted his illegal act from the beginning, cooperated with the police authorities and expressed his remorse for the incident, also explaining the reasons why he committed the crime while trying to end his own life.

She also argued that the defendant's past life shows that he is a person of good character, with no history of violent behaviour or any antisocial behaviour or traumatic experiences or personality disorder or problems in his relationships or substance use, but a person who was peaceful, family-oriented, loving, kind, formal in his obligations, who loved and cared for his wife.

As Ms Pekri said, this is an offence that does not imply that the accused will be involved in further criminal acts for the rest of his life.

She then referred to the defendant's daughter, who lives permanently in the UK and cannot travel for health reasons, who supports the defendant in the criminal proceedings he faces and looks forward to being reunited with her father.

She also expressed her client's desire upon his release to go to his wife's grave, which he has not been able to visit until now.

The Prosecution in the case was represented by the Lawyer of the Republic Andreas Hadjikyrou. It is noted that the 76-year-old has been in custody throughout the process.

KYPE