KEY POINTS:
New Zealand prison officers will guard six Pitcairn Islanders who yesterday failed in their appeal to the Privy Council against convictions for child rape and indecent assault.
The council rejected claims by former mayor Steve Christian, 55, his son Randy Christian, 30, Steve Christian's father-in-law, Len Brown, 78, and his son Dave Brown, 49, postmaster Dennis Christian, 48, and Terry Young, 45.
They had argued that they were not British subjects and did not know or understand British law.
They had been released on bail pending the outcome of the appeal.
Four were found guilty of rape and given prison sentences of between two and six years. Two others were convicted of indecent assault and sentenced to community service.
In the council decision, Lord Hope said the extent to which sexual abuse was practised on Pitcairn Island was "deeply disturbing".
"Let me not mince words. This case is about child abuse on a grand scale."
The proven offences represented "almost certainly the tip of the iceberg".
Delivering the judgment, Lord Hoffman upheld findings of fact made by the Supreme Court, which said that at all relevant times Pitcairn was a developed society in which rape and sexual offending were known to be criminal.
Lord Woolf said the appellants knew their conduct was criminal under the law.
And while the exact terms of the Sexual Offences Act had not been published on the island, there was general knowledge of the offences of rape and indecent assault.
Furthermore, all residents had access to the law through officials on the island.
Lord Triesman, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for the Overseas Territories, said: "Despite the difficulties of prosecuting serious crimes such as these in such a remote location, it is important that child sex offenders are dealt with by the courts. The decision opens the way for this remote community to move forward."
The NZ Department of Corrections says seven officers who have been on Pitcairn Island since September will guard the men. They have been overseeing construction of the prison until the appeal process was decided.
The guards volunteered for the assignment and are on leave without pay from the department. They are being paid their normal wage by the British Government and provided with a house close to the prison.
Paul Holohan, Corrections manager of national facilities development, said the officers had been getting on "really well" and had integrated into the community.
There had been no major incidents but "obviously not everyone will be pleased to see them".
The guards will be replaced by a new group in January.
Britain will pay for the prison, which is expected to cost £500,000 ($1.4 million) a year.
