- Steve Christian
"For the
Grand Central Records producer / DJ, see Steve Christian."Steven Raymond Christian (born
June 26 ,1951 ,Pitcairn Island ) is a political figure from thePacific territory of thePitcairn Islands .Mayor
He was the Mayor of the
Pitcairn Islands , a British dependency in thePacific Ocean , from7 December 1999 to30 October 2004 . As such, he was the local head of government of what is the smallest generally recognizedcountry in the world with regard to population, as the Pitcairn Islands have a total population of only 45, as of December 2005. He also acts as the island's supervisingengineer /mechanic ,dentist andX-ray technician, and ascoxswain of thelongboat , which is described as Pitcairn's umbilical cord to the outside world. He was formally dismissed from office on30 October 2004 , following his rape conviction on24 October .Background
Christian is a patrilineal descendant of
Fletcher Christian , leader of the mutineers in the late 18th century on the HMS "Bounty", a story told in the 1932 Nordoff and Hall novel "Mutiny on the Bounty", and several subsequentmotion picture versions. He is the son of Ivan Roa Christian and Verna Carlene "Dobrey" Young a descendent ofNed Young . Ivan Roa Christian is the son of Richard Charles Edgar Christian who is the son ofFrancis Hickson Christian . Public respect for his lineage gave him considerable "de facto" influence long before he held political office, first as a member of the Island Council in 1976. He again served on the Council in 1982, and was briefly Chairman of the Internal Committee (considered the second-most influential political position on the island) in 1985. He was to hold this position again in 1991 and 1992, 1994 and 1995, and 1998 and 1999, when he was elected as the island's first Mayor. The title was new but the office was not: the Mayor had previously been known as the Magistrate.He married Olive Jal Brown in 1972 and they have four children. Trent, Randy, Shawn and Tania.
The sexual assault trial
In 2004, Steve Christian, along with six other men, was tried on charges of
rape and child sexual abuse by the Pitcairn Supreme Court. Over the course of the trial, it was alleged that Christian repeatedlyrape d or assaulted a number of island women, including some children, over a period of several years [Citation
last = Lines
first = Chris
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = UK: Court dismisses key part of Pitcairn appeal
newspaper = AAP General News Wire
pages = 1
year =
date = 2006-07-01
url = http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=725605881&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD] — using the remoteness of the island, and his position of power to coerce their silence. Christian denied all accusations of impropriety, but admitted having consensualsex with several of his accusers. Christian pleaded not guilty to all charges of rape and indecent assault, but on24 October 2004 , he was convicted of committing five rapes between 1964 and 1975Citation
last = Birkett
first = Dea
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Island of Lost Girls
newspaper = New York Times
pages = A.25
year =
date = 2004-10-29
url = http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=837383051&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD] . (He was acquitted of a sixth rape charge and of four indecent assault charges).On
8 November 2004 , Christian's sister Brenda, the island's sole police officer, was elected by the Island Council to succeed him in an interim capacity, pending elections scheduled for15 December , when Jay Warren, the acquitted former magistrate, was elected mayor.References
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