Judge criticises police and awards man $130,000 after he was cleared of sex charges

The defendant has name suppression.

The Otago Daily Times reports the man says he suffered four years of hell before a jury found him not guilty on eight charges, following a trial in April last year.

Judge Kevin Phillips says the case relating to one of the young complainants was fairly investigated - but he is scathing of the police inquiry into the allegations regarding the other two.

The man's lawyer, Jonathan Eaton QC, told the court his client spent almost 400 thousand dollars defending the charges.

While the Crown will cover some of the cost, the defendant says he's still more than 140 thousand dollars out of pocket.