UK Supreme Court rejects woman’s appeal in divorce case

LONDON – Britain’s Supreme Court has rejected a petition from a woman who wanted to divorce her husband of 40 years in a ruling that may pressure Parliament to overhaul divorce laws.

The court says Tini Owens, 68, must stay married to Hugh Owens, who had objected to the divorce. She now must wait until 2020, when the couple have been separated for five years.

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

Tini Owens’ attorney, Simon Beccle, says the public would find the judgment “hard to understand.”

Attorneys suggest lawmakers will now consider “no fault” divorce.