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Six men from remote Pitcairn Island have lost their appeals against convictions for a string of sex attacks dating back 40 years on the tiny Pacific home to descendants of the HMS Bounty mutiny.
Six men from remote Pitcairn Island have lost their appeals against convictions for a string of sex attacks dating back 40 years on the tiny Pacific home to descendants of the HMS Bounty mutiny.

Pitcairn’s Supreme Court, which sits in the New Zealand city of Auckland and operates as part of Britain’s legal system, rejected defense arguments that there had been an abuse of process at the men’s trial last year on the island, which has a year-round population of 47.

The 95-page decision by the three-judge panel said none of the grounds of the appeal were valid, rejecting defense arguments that said the men were not aware that they were subject to British laws.

Former Pitcairn mayor Steve Christian and five others were convicted on charges including rape and indecent assault of mostly underage girls over a 40-year period. Four of the men face prison terms after their appeals were dismissed.

The defendants, who remain free on Pitcairn pending the appeal outcome, watched the proceedings via a satellite video link.

British government prosecutors argued that Pitcairn residents were subject to Britain’s laws, including those relating to sexual offenses, for most of the island’s 200-year history.

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Filed under: Law