Retired British miner David Hunter was visibily overcome with emotion as he was released from prison after nearly two years for the manslaughter of his seriously ill wife.

Hunter, 76, admitted suffocating Janice, his wife of 52 years, at their home on the island, after she “begged him” to end her life as she suffered from blood cancer.

On Monday, judges at Paphos District Court imposed a two-year jail sentence on Hunter, who has already spent 19 months in custody. His legal team said he had been released shortly after the sentencing when Cypriot prison authorities had officially calculated his release date.