Pitcairn men convicted over years of child sex abuse

SIX men were convicted of a string of sex attacks on the remote Pacific island of Pitcairn following trials that exposed a culture of sexual abuse of children on the tiny home of descendants of the 18th century Bounty mutineers.

Among those convicted was the Pitcairn Island mayor, Steve Christian, who claims to be a direct descendant of mutiny leader Fletcher Christian.

He was cleared of four indecent assaults and one rape but convicted of five other rapes of girls as young as 12.

The verdicts were read out by judges sent to the island from New Zealand who sat in makeshift courts in the Pitcairn community hall for the trials, which started on September 30.

Sentences were expected to be announced later this week.

The verdicts against Christian and six other men were delivered Sunday in Pitcairn - yesterday across the international date line.

The men were tried for a string of 51 sex attacks dating back 40 years on women and girls on the island, which has a permanent population of just 47.

During the trials, prosecutors painted a picture of a male-dominated society in which underage sex and assaults on children as young as five was commonplace.

Steve Christian’s son, Randy Christian, was convicted of four rapes and five indecent assaults but cleared of one rape and two indecent assaults.

Another man, Len Brown, 78, was convicted of two rapes. His son, Dave Brown, was convicted of nine indecent assaults and cleared of four indecent assaults and two charges of gross indecency. Dennis Christian was convicted of one indecent assault and two sexual assaults he pleaded guilty to at trial.

Terry Young was convicted of one rape and six indecent assaults but cleared of one indecent assault.

Jay Warren, the island’s magistrate, was found not guilty of indecent assault.