A man started a relationship with a judge who decreed his separation from his wife, prompting an investigation in Italy.

The couple were legally separated by a judge in Perugia, with the man later telling his former wife that he had started a relationship with the woman who had terminated their marriage.

The former wife has filed a report requesting an investigation to establish whether her former husband and the judge were in cahoots and if the judge had respected impartiality required by law.

Italian media report that the couple, who have a young son, were legally separated in November 2018 but, a month later, the man had informed his former wife that he had started a new relationship, and his new partner was the judge.

The matter is now under investigation.