The Pitcairn Supreme Court is the

supreme court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...

, a

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

. It is a superior

court of record A court of record is a trial court or appellate court in which a record of the proceedings is captured and preserved, for the possibility of appeal. A court clerk or a court reporter takes down a record of oral proceedings. That written record ...

. Provisions for a supreme court were set out in amendments to the Old Constitution Order in the 1990s. The court first sat for the

Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 In 2004, seven men living on Pitcairn Islands, Pitcairn Island faced 55 charges relating to sexual offences against children and young adults. The accused represented one-third of the island's male population and included Steve Christian, the Lis ...

, and its powers were further elaborated on in the Constitution Order 2010. There are currently three judges appointed to the court, including Chief Justice Charles Blackie, all of whom are judges in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. An agreement between the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

governments was signed at

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 11 October 2002 which provided for Pitcairn court cases to be heard in New Zealand. This was later reinforced by legislation passed in New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands, being the Pitcairn Trials Act 2002 and the Judicature Amendment Ordinance respectively. Hearings of the court may also be held in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Judges

Judges are appointed by the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands under instruction from King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

. There must be, at all time, one Chief Justice and up to four other judges or acting judges. The current judges are:

Cases

Sexual assault trial

The court first sat to try the

. The tribunal's first decision was whether to accept the defence claim that the Pitcairn Islands were not in fact legally British territory and had not been such since at least the time that the original settlers, the mutineers of the '' Bounty'', burned the vessel in a symbolic (and, from the defence viewpoint, actual) rejection of further British

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

and rule. The Supreme Court ruled that the Pitcairns were in fact British territory and were generally internationally recognised to be such and that the trial was thus legal. The Court later (October 23) found the defendants to be guilty of the sexual offences alleged against them, which created turmoil as the defendants included the islands'

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Steve Christian Steven Raymond Christian (born 26 June 1951) is a politician, convicted sex offender and child rapist from the Pitcairn Islands. He was mayor of the islands from 1999 until 2004, when he was removed from office after being found guilty in the ...

, direct descendant of leading ''Bounty'' mutineer Fletcher Christian. Steve Christian's sister was then installed as mayor until a new election could be held for a new island government.

Child pornography trial

In 2010, then-

of the islands Mike Warren was charged with possession of child pornography. In 2016 he was found guilty of downloading more than 1000 images and videos of child sexual abuse. Warren began collecting child pornography after the 2004 Pitcairn child sex abuse trial, where six islanders were found guilty of various sexual crimes against children.

References

{{reflist

External links

Pitcairn Islands Laws (includes case law of the Supreme Court)
Government of the Pitcairn Islands Politics of the Pitcairn Islands 2004 in the Pitcairn Islands Law of the Pitcairn Islands