We all know that some divorces can be, well, nasty. Downright nasty in fact. There are movies about them, and we all have a good giggle. But I bet deep down inside, we pray it’ll never happen to us.

Not so this Iranian guy, for whom I feel heartfelt sympathy:

An Iranian man is facing the prospect of paying alimony more than 10,000 years.

Under Iranian law, couples sign a pre-nuptial agreement in which the bride stipulates how much she will demand if they separate or divorce.

In this case the woman, from Teheran, asked for 15 million dollars worth of gold coins.

The court ruled the husband should pay up - but in single monthly instalments.

If he lives long enough it will take him 10,333 years to pay off the award!

Thanks to Sky News for reporting this gem.

I suppose on the other side of the coin, we have very little cause to complain about the inequity of Islamic marriages, or the inequity of the sexes, do we? She certainly came out on top in that deal…