A 63-YEAR-OLD Sharpness man accused of assaulting his Russian wife and falsely imprisoning her was cleared after a judge heard that she had returned to her homeland.

Although willing to come back to the UK to give evidence, Roger Wall's wife Zinaida Kuznetsova is seriously ill and she does not have a visa allowing her to re-enter the country, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Julian Kesner said he would not normally throw in the towel in a domestic violence case but in the circumstances he had decided it would not be in the public interest to continue against Mr Wall, of Dock Road.

"I do not feel it is in the public interest to spend thousands of pounds to proceed with the case," he said.

"Mr Wall has not been in trouble for 42 years. Had the position been very different regarding his antecedents the Crown's position regarding the public interest would have been very different.

"I understand he is no longer in contact with at all with the complainant in this case and this is not the most serious of charges."

Judge Jamie Tabor QC said: "She is extremely unwell and her illness, we are told, could be terminal. To drag her back here for this case is not acceptable.

"The defendant believes she married him for one reason and one reason only and that was to secure her residence in this country. I can see no public interest at all in pursuing the case."

Mr Kesner offered no evidence on the two charges which Mr Wall had denied - assault causing actual bodily harm and false imprisonment - and the judge formally found Mr Wall not guilty.

Mr Wall put his hand to his head and said 'Oh!" in surprise and relief before breaking into tears when the judge told him he had been found not guilty.