Woman in 'loveless marriage' can't divorce husband, court rules

Tini Owens, 68, is fighting get divorced from her husband, High Owens, 60. (AP)

A woman who says she's trapped in a “loveless” 40-year marriage must stay with her husband because he doesn’t want to divorce her, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

Tini Owens, 68, is fighting to get divorced from her husband, High Owens, citing unreasonable behavior and claiming their marriage has been broken for some time. He has objected to the divorce and denied his wife’s allegations about his behavior.

The Supreme Court refused to grant the divorce saying they are not “able to change the law,” Sky News reported.

English divorce laws say a person cannot divorce without a spouse’s consent, unless they can prove adultery, unreasonable behavior or desertion. The only other way is to first live apart for five years.

“Mrs. Owens is devastated by this decision, which means that she cannot move forward with her life and obtain her independence from Mr. Owens,” her lawyer, Simon Beccle told reporters.

He said the public would find the court’s decision “hard to understand.”

Tini Owens must now wait until 2020, when the couple will have been separated for five years.

The couple married in 1978 and have lived in Broadway, Worcestershire. Tini Owens moved out and petitioned for a divorce in 2015. Two years ago, a family court judge refused the divorce and rejected her allegations, describing them as “flimsy and exaggerated,” Sky News reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.