ROME, Oct 14 (AFP) - An Italian court on Thursday sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for knowingly infecting his wife with the AIDS virus, two years after she died from the condition, judicial officials said.

Maurizio Lucini, a 34-year-old craftsman, knew that he was a carrier of the Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) which causes AIDS since 1986 but still had unprotected sex with his wife whom he married in 1991.

"I did not have the guts to tell her," he told the court.

A few days before her death in May 1997 he fled to Mexico fearing the reaction of his in-laws, after withdrawing all money from his bank account. He returned to Italy last year after falling ill himself.

His lawyer said he would appeal the sentence handed down by a court in the northern town of Cremona.

991014
AF991025

Copyright © AFP or Agence France-Presse, 1999 - AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, that no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics.  http://www.afp.com/