Christian charity CARE has voiced concern about calls to legalise assisted suicide in the UK after a man sentenced in the killing of his terminally ill wife was freed by a Cypriot court.
David Hunter, 76, killed his wife Janice, 74, in an assisted suicide at their home in Paphos in 2021. He denied murder and said his wife, who suffered from blood cancer, became "hysterical" and "cried and begged" him to end her life.
The court sentenced him to two years in prison for manslaughter but released him on Monday after serving 19 months in custody.
Commenting on the outcome yesterday, CARE said the "narrative" around the case was "troubling".
Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE, said: "We're concerned by the narrative surrounding this case, which involves the violent death of a vulnerable woman.
"Janice Hunter became distressed after being diagnosed with cancer. She needed specialist support. Finding this would have been the compassionate response by David Hunter."
Hendry expressed concern that the case is being used by campaigners to press for the legalisation of assisted suicide in the UK.
He said that such calls should be resisted and that efforts should be focused on providing quality palliative care.
"Their argument is based on the premise that people with serious illnesses face a binary choice between suffering and death. This idea is false, and dangerous," he said.
"Holistic palliative care meets the needs of dying people, including in the most difficult circumstances.
"Our national conversation needs to focus on how we improve care, not keep returning to assisted suicide. The experience of countries like Canada shows that assisted suicide is a Pandora's Box."
