Judicial review applicant to bear costs after unsuccessful challenge to criminal conviction

High Court rules that the applicant, who sought to overturn a criminal conviction through judicial review, must pay the legal costs incurred by the respondents. The court found the judicial review proceedings to be an abuse of process as they represented an impermissible collateral challenge to the Court of Appeal's decision and were initiated almost eight years after the original conviction. The court also rejected the applicant's argument that the respondents' conduct in the earlier criminal proceedings should impact the costs decision, emphasising that the focus should be on the conduct within the judicial review itself. The respondents, having successfully resisted the judicial review, are entitled to recover their legal costs from the applicant, including the costs of two legal teams, as it was reasonable for the Director of Public Prosecutions to have separate representation.