ROME (Reuters) - An Italian woman whose angry husband refused for 7 years to have sex with her was awarded divorce damages by Italy's high court this week. Francesco launched his "sex strike" in the early 1990s to punish his wife, Piera, for taking sides against him in a family dispute over money, according to details of the case reported by local media.

They bitterly separated in 2000 and Francesco, still convinced that she was responsible for the broken marriage, refused to make support payments demanded by Italian courts and repeatedly appealed against them. But the highest court ruled that Francesco's sexual punishment did not fit the crime, and doomed Piera to perpetual frustration. "The refusal of affection or sexual attention must constitute the blame for the separation," the court ruled. For Piera, "satisfaction in life (was) impossible ... along with fulfilment of marriage in its deepest sense." Beyond support payments, Francesco must pay court costs of several thousand euros.