diff --git a/Data/SQLite/src/SessionImpl.cpp b/Data/SQLite/src/SessionImpl.cpp
index cc95ec032..da6c7dd89 100644
--- a/Data/SQLite/src/SessionImpl.cpp
+++ b/Data/SQLite/src/SessionImpl.cpp
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ void SessionImpl::open(const std::string& connect)
 			rc = sqlite3_open_v2(connectionString().c_str(), &_pDB,
 				SQLITE_OPEN_READWRITE | SQLITE_OPEN_CREATE | SQLITE_OPEN_URI, NULL);
 			if (rc == SQLITE_OK) break;
+			if (!_pDB)
+				throw ConnectionFailedException(std::string(sqlite3_errstr(rc)));
 			if (sw.elapsedSeconds() >= tout)
 			{
 				Utility::throwException(_pDB, rc);
diff --git a/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.cpp b/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.cpp
index ffeaa6378..931e00e4d 100755
--- a/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.cpp
+++ b/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.cpp
@@ -1376,6 +1376,21 @@ void SQLiteTest::testEmptyDB()
 }
 
 
+void SQLiteTest::testNonexistingDB()
+{
+	try
+	{
+		Session tmp (Poco::Data::SQLite::Connector::KEY, "foo/bar/nonexisting.db", 1);
+		fail("non-existing DB must throw");
+	}
+	catch(ConnectionFailedException& ex)
+	{
+		return;
+	}
+	fail("non-existing DB must throw ConnectionFailedException");
+}
+
+
 void SQLiteTest::testCLOB()
 {
 	std::string lastName("lastname");
@@ -3506,6 +3521,7 @@ CppUnit::Test* SQLiteTest::suite()
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testIllegalRange);
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testSingleSelect);
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testEmptyDB);
+	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testNonexistingDB);
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testCLOB);
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testBLOB);
 	CppUnit_addTest(pSuite, SQLiteTest, testTuple10);
diff --git a/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.h b/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.h
index 59425ab88..6e4f911ea 100755
--- a/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.h
+++ b/Data/SQLite/testsuite/src/SQLiteTest.h
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ public:
 	void testIllegalRange();
 	void testSingleSelect();
 	void testEmptyDB();
+	void testNonexistingDB();
 
 	void testCLOB();
 	void testBLOB();