Court rejects appeal by Pitcairn sex abusers

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Associated Press
Tuesday May 24, 2005

Six men from Pitcairn island today lost appeals against their convictions for a string of sex attacks dating back 40 years on the tiny and remote Pacific home of 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 defence arguments that there had been an abuse of process at the men's trial last year on the island, which has a population of only 47.

The 95-page decision by the three-judge panel said none of the grounds of the appeal were valid, rejecting defence 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 last year 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.

But they will remain free after the court suspended the men's sentences pending an appeal to Britain's Privy Council, the highest appeal court for many British colonies and former colonies, which is not likely to begin until next year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1490963,00.html