- Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific will host one of
the most sensational trials in British legal history this week, with seven
men facing nearly 100 charges of rape and child sex abuse dating back to
the 1960s.
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- The seven, all residents of the remote British dependency,
were given a final opportunity last week to plead guilty and reduce their
chances of long jail sentences. At a pre-trial hearing on Thursday, they
were offered the option of "restorative justice", a process that
would bring them face to face with victims and require them to make reparations.
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- The trial, which begins on Wednesday, has devastated
a tiny community that traces its roots back to the Bounty mutiny of 1789,
when it was settled by Fletcher Christian and other mutineers.
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- The seven represent half of the adult male population
of Pitcairn, which is home to just 47 people. Virtually everyone in the
claustrophobically close-knit society is related to one or more of the
defendants and/or the alleged victims.
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- Some of the women still live on the island with their
alleged assailants who have been free on bail since they were charged 18
months ago. The latter helped to build the prison in which they could eventually
be incarcerated, and still take part in the communal work - such as manning
the longboats - that is essential to Pitcairn daily life. A second batch
of six men, who now live in Australia and New Zealand, will go on trial
next year, charged with similar offences.
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- The case is a logistical nightmare for the British Government,
which rules Pitcairn through its High Commissioner in Wellington, Richard
Fell. Located in a far-flung corner of the South Pacific, the dependent
territory is accessible only by boat, requiring a two-day voyage from Mangareva,
a French Polynesian island 250 miles away. The authorities have had to
ship in an entire court, comprising judges, lawyers, police and court officials,
together with all their documents and supplies. Nine of the 12 alleged
victims will give evidence via a video-link from Auckland, the New Zealand
city where many now live. In Adamstown, Pitcairn's only settlement, the
courthouse - a village hall rarely used for its original purpose - has
been spruced up, while the schoolhouse will be used as a second court.
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- The investigation into allegations of systematic sexual
abuse of young girls on the island began after a Kent constable, Gail Cox,
was sent to conduct training in community policing. Two girls made complaints
to her against older men, prompting an inquiry that lasted two years and
spanned three continents.
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- The offer of restorative justice, a system pioneered
by New Zealand, has been on the table since the men were charged. But they
have shown no inclination to accept it, instead concentrating their energies
on mounting challenges to Britain's sovereignty. The unique circumstances
of the trial have thrown up exceptional challenges and forced conventional
proprieties to be abandoned. The court's entire personnel flew to Tahiti
together and on to Mangareva, where the judges, prosecution lawyers and
defence team boarded a small boat to Pitcairn. A second boatload, carrying
diplomats and police witnesses, will arrive today. Accommodation is so
limited that the defence lawyers will sleep in the prison.
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- ©2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd. All rights reserved
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- http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/story.jsp?story=565762
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