A NEWPORT man whose sister was murdered vowed to put "years of hell" behind him after being cleared of domestic violence charges.

Ijaz Ulhaq, aged 42, of Llanwern Street, Newport, denied attacking former girlfriend Sharleen Hodge between October 2005 and April this year.

But yesterday the case was thrown out after Cardiff Crown Court heard she had called Gwent Police to admit he had not done it.

Ms Hodge was said to have lied hours after giving evidence against him, the prosecuting barrister Michael Jones said.

Mr Ulhaq, who was remanded in custody but released yesterday, said he was determined to make a fresh start.

Mr Ulhaq said yesterday: "I have been imprisoned for four-and-a-half months but now they are letting me go.

"Hopefully, God willing, I can put the last years of hell behind me now."

His sister Mussarat Nazir was murdered in Newport in December 2004.

Her killer, taxi driver Mohamed Arshad, was jailed for life in July last year at Cardiff crown court after pleading guilty. He will serve a minimum ten years in prison.

The court had heard how Arshad, 38, of Morris Street, Maindee, garrotted Ms Nazir, a former childhood friend, with a rope and doused her body with petrol before setting her alight. She was found in a burnt-out car in Duffryn.

Just before noon yesterday, prosecutor Mr Jones broke the news to the jury which brought the case against Mr Ulhaq to an end.

"There was a telephone call to Gwent Police at about 9.15pm," he said.

"She said she lied against Mr Ulhaq in Cardiff crown court. She said he did not do it."

Hours before the call was made, Ms Hodge told the jury that Mr Ulhaq tried to strangle her with a pillowcase, threatened her with a knife and struck her with a hammer.

He denied two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two charges of assault by beating and one charge of intimidating a witness.

But during cross-examination she admitted appearing on the Trisha show to talk about her alcoholism and gave a confused account of the alleged incidents.

Ms Hodge told the court she drank one-and-a-half litres of vodka a day and that she drank alcohol before giving evidence.

Directing the jury to return a not guilty verdict, recorder Patrick Curran told them: "As a matter of law this would be a wholly unsafe conviction."