Italy rules pretending to be single to seduce lover is illegal

Italy's highest court has ruled that trying to deceive a lover by pretending to be single or divorced is illegal. The Court of Cassation, in the capital Rome, said such behaviour is now punishable by law.

The ruling came after a man tried to convince his lover that he was divorcing his wife. He even prepared divorce documents to prove the couple were about to split, La Stampa newspaper reported.

The man's lover introduced him to her family. The two planned to marry after the woman, who was aware of her partner's marriage, fell pregnant. He persuaded her that he intended to end his previous marriage.

The lover, however, became suspicious. When the man showed her the divorce documents, she started investigating and discovered that he was still living with his wife, who was expecting a child.

The man was charged with forgery. He was also due to face bigamy charges. However, the charge was dropped when he argued he had been trying to prolong his affair, rather than marrying his lover.

The Court of Cassation had previously dealt with similar cases. In past rulings, the court ruled it was illegal to spy on partners' mobile phones as it violates people's privacy.