<p>BERLIN — A man in Austria has been convicted of intentionally infecting his ex-wife with the coronavirus by coughing at her.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the Linz regional court said Tuesday that the 63-year-old was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years.</p>
<p>Judges had convicted the man Monday of attempted serious bodily harm for giving the victim COVID-19 while they were still living in the same house pending the finalization of their divorce last November.</p>
<p>The defendant, whose name wasn’t released for privacy reasons, had coughed at the 70-year-old woman after learning that he had tested positive for COVID-19, court spokesman Walter Eichinger said. The defendant was also convicted of threatening the victim and lesser bodily harm for grabbing her throat and urging her to leave their shared house.</p>
<p>He was ordered to pay 1,000 euros (about $1,220) in damages to his ex-wife, who has since recovered from her COVID-19 infection.</p>
<p>Neither the defendant nor prosecutors planned to appeal the sentence.</p>
