Pitcairn men lose Supreme Court appeal News
Pitcairn men lose Supreme Court appeal

[JURIST] Six Pitcairn Island men, found guilty of multiple sexual abuse charges in October 2004 [JURIST report], have lost their appeal in the Pitcairn Supreme Court sitting in Auckland, New Zealand. The Court denied all of the defense's arguments, including a claim that British law did not apply to the descendants of the 18th-century Bounty mutineers who originally settled the island [Pitcairn Island official website]. Later this year, Britain's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council [official website], the highest appeals court for UK overseas colonies, will hear a challenge to British jurisdiction over the remote Pacific island. JURIST's Paper Chase has background on the trials. Reuters has more.