McLauchlan condones rape?

Gordon McLauchlan has written a bizarre column in the NZ Herald about Pitcairn Island trials. I should point out that he doesn’t actually condone rape, but I am auditioning for a job as a sub-editor for the Herald on Sunday, so have gone for a shock headline.

McLauchlan thinks the trials reflect the British puritanical approach to affairs, and compares what happened to a thrashing or a theft, saying these would not lead to a criminal trial.

Now if all that had happened on the island was that consensual sex occured earlier than 16, I would be agreeing with him. As one Pitcairn woman said, there isn’t much else to do on the island!

But as this report makes clear,. the allegations are far far more serious than teenage under age sex. They include five year olds being sexually abused and twelve year olds being held down by a pack, and raped.

McLauchlan thinks that a five year old being (allegedly) sexually abused or a twelve year old pack raped is the same scale as theft, and should be dealt with by a big group conference, instead of criminal justice. In fact he is angry with the UK and NZ for allowing these (alleged) child rapists and abusers to be prosecuted.

How very sad.