King loses costs plea

Paedophile pop mogul Jonathan King was today refused costs for aborted court proceedings against him because an Old Bailey judge said he had "brought suspicion on himself".

Paedophile pop mogul Jonathan King was today refused costs for aborted court proceedings against him because an Old Bailey judge said he had "brought suspicion on himself".

King, who was released from jail last week after serving half his seven year sentence for abusing under-age boys, had wanted his legal costs reimbursed for an aborted second trial.

But Judge David Paget told King: "It seems to me that as I recollect the whole of this case and the whole of the indictment, that his conduct did bring suspicion on himself."

Judge Paget had ordered King to pay £14,000 towards prosecution costs after a 2001 trial where King was convicted of six charges of sexual assault. There had originally been 21 counts and two further trials had been planned.

But the prosecution dropped the case after a week in the second trial because of the passing of time and there was doubt about whether the complainant had been over the age of consent at the time.

Trevor Burke QC, for King, said "in the interests of fairness" it was only right that King's "very substantial" defence costs should have a contribution from central funds because the other charges had been stayed or left on file.

But Judge Paget said he had considered all the matters at the time. The £14,000 was a "fraction" of the prosecution costs and a figure which King was "easily able to pay".

He said one of the reasons for the counts being left to lie on file "might be said to be a technicality - but it is right to say those issues were never tried".

Dismissing the application, the judge added he had "had in mind that Mr King had paid a great deal of money towards his defence" when he made the costs order against him.

There was no order for costs in relation to today's brief hearing.

King, wearing a gold tie and black suit with trainer shoes, sat at the back of the court for the hearing.

He said after the case: "I can never understand the language of judges.

"He asked if I would come in and I obliged."

King said he had made the application as a matter of principle.

The millionaire whose hits date back to the 1960s would not say how much his legal costs have amounted to.

But when it was suggested that the amount the court might have awarded him was a "drop in the ocean" for such a rich man, King said: "It depends what ocean."

His legal adviser, Giovanni di Stefano, said he would be pursuing an appeal against the £14,000 prosecution costs order.