A 74-year-old man who confessed to killing his wife, 75, on Saturday evening in their home in Tremithousa in Paphos, was remanded on Sunday for eight days.

Head of the Paphos CID, Michalis Nicolaou said that the 74-year-old admitted to killing his wife who was suffering from leukaemia because he said he could not bear to see her suffer. He said he suffocated the woman by blocking with his hands her mouth and nose while she was sitting in an armchair, police said. He allegedly confessed to the crime, citing her own wishes, because she suffered from an incurable disease, Nicolaou said.

Police said that they were alerted by Interpol at around 8 pm on Saturday that the 74-year-old had sent a message to a family member abroad telling them he had killed his wife because she was suffering from an illness and that he would also end his own life. When officers went to the house of the couple, they found the woman dead. The 74-year-old was also there.

The couple, both from the UK, were living permanently in Tremithousa, Cyprus

The body was examined by state pathologist Nicolas Charalambous who found bruises and scratches on the woman’s face. It is believed her death was due to a criminal act.

A post mortem is to also be carried out. Police said they were investigating premeditated murder.

COMMENT:

This man has volunteered to suffer for the rest of his life, in order to prevent his wife suffering for the rest of hers. Assisted suicide is illegal in Cyprus, it is also illegal to turn life-support machines off, so this poor man will now face the full force of the law.

There is no trial by jury in Cyprus, so if he faces a charge of murder, which is likely, the decision will rest entirely with the Judge, one person, of Cypriot origin, in a court that will be conducted in Greek.