Great-grandmother, 71, is told she cannot marry 21-year-old Tunisian fiance who she met online by court officials who fear she is victim of immigration scam

  • Swiss woman, 71, met her Tunisian lover online when he was just 18
  • The pair exchanged messages for three years before meeting last summer
  • They applied to be married, saying they shared an interest in 'rap music'
  • But court refused, fearing the man was using her to move to Switzerland 

By Stephanie Linning for MailOnline

Published: 07:41 EST, 22 May 2016 | Updated: 11:52 EST, 22 May 2016

A 71-year-old woman has been told she cannot wed her 21-year-old lover by court officials who fear she has been the victim of an immigration scam.

The great-grandmother, from Switzerland, told the court she loved her Tunisian boyfriend, claiming they shared interests in 'rap music and country walks'.

The man, who was just 18 when the pair met in an internet chatroom, said the age gap didn't matter because he doesn't want to have children.

Denied: A 71-year-old woman has been told she cannot marry her Tunisian fiance, 21. Pictured, file image

Denied: A 71-year-old woman has been told she cannot marry her Tunisian fiance, 21. Pictured, file image

However the court in Vaud ruled the marriage would be a sham, saying the man was using 'emotional fraud with the aim of migration' to Switzerland.

The woman told 20 Minutes that she had met her young lover online and spent three years building their relationship over the internet before flying to Tunisia last summer to meet him. 

Met online: The couple first made contact on an internet chatroom when the man was just 18. File image

Met online: The couple first made contact on an internet chatroom when the man was just 18. File image

Five days later the couple lodged a request to marry at the Swiss Embassy in Tunis. 

The retired secretary told the paper: 'We both like rap and walks in the countryside. We have the same interests.'

Speaking after the court ruling, the man said: 'I am very disappointed. The age gap is not a problem for me because I don't want to have children. I love her and I want to live with her.' 

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