A woman testifying against two men she claims raped her as a child said she couldn’t tell anyone about the assaults because of the closed community mentality on the remote Pacific island of Pitcairn.

THE postmaster of Pitcairn Island has pleaded guilty to the indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl, the first outcome in a series of trials at a makeshift court set up on the remote Pacific outpost to handle charges of sex abuse dating back decades.

The postmaster of Pitcairn Island has pleaded guilty to the indecent assault of a 12-year-old girl, the first outcome in a series of trials at a makeshift court set up on the remote Pacific outpost to handle charges of sex abuse dating back decades.

The prosecution in the cases of seven Pitcairn men accused of a catalogue of sexual offences against young girls on the island scored a significant victory yesterday when one of the defendants changed his plea to guilty.