Tragic twist in the case of 87-year-old Briton arrested in Greece for 'attempting to kill his wife by suffocating her with a pillow' as sources reveal reason for 'murder attempt'

In a tragic twist, a source has revealed the alleged reason why an 87-year-old British pensioner tried to smother his wife with a pillow.

The Greek authorities have now arrested the man on suspicion of murder.

He appeared before an Athens prosecutor after allegedly attempting to suffocate the 89-year-old woman with a pillow in her apartment in Paleo Faliro, about 6km west of central Athens, on Sunday.

Authorities said a neighbor called police after the 87-year-old asked for help.

Greek authorities also announced that the 87-year-old pensioner was allegedly suffering from dementia.

Pictured: Flisvos beach on the promenade of Paleo Faliro in Greece (file image)

The pensioner has so far insisted that he acted at the request of his wife, who wanted to end her life after her health had deteriorated over the years and she was bedridden due to severe dementia.

“He couldn't do it,” said a senior police expert. “He was just trying to cover her face with a pillow when his wife fell unconscious. Then he ran to get help from his neighbor.”

Officers reportedly found the woman alive and lying naked on the bed in the apartment.

The victim was taken to a local state hospital where he is currently recovering, authorities said.

According to neighbors, the couple had retired to Greece decades ago.

The case came after British pensioner David Hunter was sentenced to 19 months in prison in 2022 for killing his terminally ill wife in Cyprus.

The 76-year-old, originally from Northumberland, smothered his cancer-stricken wife Janice with a pillow in December 2021 before attempting to take his own life with a drug overdose.

Mr Hunter told the court in Paphos how his wife had “cried and begged” him to end her life and “free her” while she suffered the excruciating pain of her blood cancer.

And after refusing her pleas for six weeks, he suffocated her in December 2021 and then attempted to take his own life by drug overdose.

He was tried for murder, but last year judges dismissed the charges and convicted him of manslaughter.

Hunter was sentenced to two years in prison but was released after Cypriot authorities deemed he had already served his sentence in Nicosia Prison.

David Hunter, 76, was released from a Cypriot prison on July 31 last year after spending 19 months behind bars for killing his terminally ill wife.

Hunter said he would never have taken his wife's life “in a million years” if she hadn't asked him to.

The 76-year-old said he would “never in his life” have taken his wife’s life if she hadn’t asked him to.

He showed the court how he held his hands over his wife's mouth and nose and said he finally decided to grant her wish after she became “hysterical”.