Italian ex-PM Berlusconi sentenced in Ruby sex case

But Mr Berlusconi remains a free man while he appeals against the Milan court ruling.

Both the 76-year-old media tycoon and the Moroccan woman concerned, Karima El Mahroug, deny they had sex.

"I intend to resist this persecution because I am absolutely innocent," Mr Berlusconi said after the verdict.

He is already embroiled in several other court cases. In October 2012 he was given a four-year sentence for tax fraud, which is also under appeal.

'Bunga-Bunga' parties

This latest verdict ends a two-year trial which has frequently made the headlines, with its allegations of topless women and erotic party games.

Mr Berlusconi was convicted of paying for sex with Ms El Mahroug, known as "Ruby the Heart Stealer", in 2010, even though she was 17 at the time.

He was also found guilty of abusing the powers of his office, by arranging to have Ms El Mahroug released from police custody when she was detained in a separate petty theft case.

Ms El Mahroug was one of a group of women invited to Mr Berlusconi's private residence for so-called "bunga-bunga" party evenings.

Mr Berlusconi insists the alleged sex parties were actually dinners where female guests performed "burlesque" dancing.

The prosecution said the women were part of a prostitution system set up for his personal sexual satisfaction.

Although frequenting prostitutes is not a crime in Italy, having sex with one who is under the age of 18 is an offence punishable by a prison sentence.

Read more