A NEWPORT man jailed for life for torturing and raping a woman he imprisoned has failed to overturn his conviction.

Michael Podmore (pictured), labelled an "evil sicko" after his trial, raped the terrified 26-year-old woman, torturing and beating her in an horrific three-week ordeal that only ended when she escaped from his Risca Road flat.

Podmore, 40, was found guilty at Cardiff crown court last August of three counts of rape, three of making threats to kill, false imprisonment, attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and two of actual bodily harm.

Now the Criminal Appeal Court in London has refused Podmore permission to challenge his convictions.

The court ruled his proposed grounds of appeal cast no doubt on the "safety" of the jury's verdicts.

Podmore's trial heard that the woman was raped repeatedly and on one occasion Podmore attached crocodile clips to her and gave her electric shocks.

Podmore aimed a hammer at her head, threatened to kill her, blow up her mother and children and kill himself if she left the flat, the trial court was told.

Podmore claimed the victim consented to all the acts, but the Cardiff crown court jury found him guilty by a majority verdict.

His victim's mother later described him as "evil" and a "sicko".

At the appeal court, Lord Justice Potter rejected a claim that the admission of evidence at the trial from two other women was unfair.

The two women claimed Podmore had also abused them at an earlier date.

Podmore's appeal claimed the two women should not have been allowed to give evidence, as what happened to them was not sufficiently similar to the imprisoned woman's allegations.

But Lord Justice Potter said the trial judge, John Griffith Williams, had directed the jury properly about that evidence and there was no suggestion the women had colluded in their testimony.

He also rejected a second proposed reason for appeal concerning the trial judge's refusal to take evidence from a psychologist.

Podmore wanted the expert to tell the jury about his panic attacks which happened when he was not at the trial during most of the prosecution evidence.

The trial court heard that Podmore started his life of crime when he was 15 and has a string of convictions for sadistic attacks on women - including burning one with an iron, beating her with a claw hammer and holding a cigarette lighter to another woman's face.