Man sues his wife's lover for £500,000

An Italian man is suing his wife's lover for pounds 500,000 in Italy's first case of a cuckold seeking monetary compensation for "moral damages" caused by an extramarital affair.

The 45-year-old military officer has demanded 200,000 euros for himself and 400,000 euros for his two children - aged 14 and 10 - in the precedent-setting case, which began this week in the town of Spoleto, in Umbria.

The plaintiff, whose name has not been released, claims that his 39-year-old wife's affair caused her to develop "obsessive behaviour that led her to ruin the life of the family and to avoid her conjugal obligations".

The husband also said her affair had sent him into a spiral of depression. He presented a medical certificate to the civil tribunal where the case is being heard.

The 39-year-old alleged lover, who is from Perugia, insists that he is just good friends with the woman, who lives with her husband in Spoleto.

Marco Brusco, his lawyer, said: "He denies being her lover. But even if it was true, we argue that he is free to have sex with who he likes - whether they are married, single or separated.

"Adultery may once have been a crime in this country, but that is no longer the case. There is no law that says a man cannot go to bed with the wife of another man."

The husband is suing the alleged lover under a section of penal code that allows for legal action where no contract exists between two parties.