Little evidence of remorse as islanders await sentence

By KATHY MARKS

Pitcairn Island's six child sex offenders pleaded for clemency yesterday, but only two of them expressed remorse despite poignant testimony from victims about the impact of the abuse on their lives.

As islanders digested the guilty verdicts delivered against leading figures in the community, some denounced the hearings - which they did not bother attending - as show trials. "We believe this whole thing was a set-up from the beginning," said Michael Warren.

Lawyers for the six asked the Pitcairn Supreme Court to spare them from prison sentences, saying they were crucial to the survival of the South Pacific island.

They include the mayor, Steve Christian, who has yet to resign despite being found guilty of five rapes. While British administrators of the dependent territory have said they will apply pressure if he does not step down, they appear to be taking a softly-softly approach.

Statements by women who endured wretched childhoods on Pitcairn were read out ahead of sentencing tomorrow. One woman raped 40 years ago by several men including Steve Christian said: "I sometimes have an urge to drive into a brick wall and end the pain." She said of her abusers: "They robbed me of my childhood."

The woman suffered depression, nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks, and has also tried to commit suicide.

Dennis Christian, who pleaded guilty to three assault charges, sent an email to his principal victim in which he "apologised and expressed his deep remorse", the court heard. He is certain to be spared jail.

But the others face possible incarceration in the island's new six-cell prison.

Charles Cato, counsel for Dave Brown, who carried out nine indecent assaults against three girls, said his client regretted any distress caused.

One victim has been unable to return to Pitcairn because she fears for her safety as a result of cooperating with the prosecution. "Once this case is over, I will try to overcome my fear and see my family," she said. "I hope to take my daughter there and call it paradise again."

Mr Cato said Brown was one of the island's few able-bodied men. "It would be a sad day for the world, and for this community, if Pitcairn was lost," he said. "It has been an outpost of civilisation, a beacon of hope and a refuge for lost ships and sailors for many years. There is many a boy that has asked himself 'what is life like on Pitcairn?"'

Lawyers were reluctant to see Brown's 78-year-old father, Len, who raped a girl twice, sent to jail. But when Justice Russell Johnson asked his lawyer, Allan Roberts, whether Brown senior felt remorse, Mr Roberts said: "That would be fraudulent."

Paul Dacre, the public defender, asked the judges to impose sentences appropriate to Pitcairn's unique circumstances. "We are talking about 50 people living on a rock, not 50 million in England," he said.

The defence submitted statements from three island women denying a culture of sexual abuse. Royal Warren, 76, said: "I would know if there was or had been, because you can't keep secrets on Pitcairn."

Mrs Warren said she still held the six men in high regard. She said Randy Christian, Steve's son, who carried out four rapes, was "a very nice boy who helps his mother in every way".

While many islanders are still refusing to acknowledge that children were ever abused on Pitcairn, others have welcomed the verdicts as the first step towards building a healthier community.