Italian former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has won an appeal against his conviction for paying for sex with an underage prostitute, BBC News reports.

His seven-year prison sentence has now been thrown out by judges in Milan, in the so-called "Ruby" case.

Last year a court found that he had paid for sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer, Karima El-Mahroug, known as "Ruby the Heartstealer".

Berlusconi is doing community service after being sentenced for tax fraud.