Big costs despite acquittal

A police recruit cleared of rape will have to pay thousands of dollars in court costs, the High Court judge has ruled.

Mark Tulloch was charged with raping a woman he met on a dating website in 2007 while a recruit at the Royal NZ Police College in Porirua.

But the case was thrown out at trial in the High Court at Wellington in March, after Justice Ronald Young ruled the woman's evidence was unreliable.

Mr Tulloch, who said he should never have been charged in the first place, asked the court for an award of $14,697 in legal aid, sums of $12,892 and $1350 for two private investigators, and nearly $3000 for filing the costs application.

He had already made a $7450 payment towards a legal aid grant.

In a reserved judgment, Justice Young said he had no doubt the prosecution acted in good faith in bringing the prosecution. Mr Tulloch's criticism of the police investigation and the decision to charge him was "misguided".

The judge awarded Mr Tulloch $3450 towards his legal aid contribution, $1000 for his application for costs and $750 towards his private investigators' bills.

- NZPA