Six men found guilty of child rape and indecent assault on the remote Pacific island of Pitcairn have failed in their appeals against conviction.
The Privy Council, the court of final appeal for UK overseas territories, rejected the men's appeal following a lengthy investigation and legal battle.
The men had said Pitcairn was not under British sovereignty and English Law had not been properly incorporated there.
They will serve sentences ranging from six years in jail to community service.
The men had been released on bail pending the outcome of their appeals following their trials in October and November 2004.
"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"
They had already had appeals dismissed by the Pitcairn Court of Appeal sitting in Auckland in 2006.
The case was then heard by the Privy Council in London in July 2006.
Lord Triesman, Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister responsible for overseas territories, said: "I am pleased that this case has come to an end...
"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 today opens the way for this remote community to move forward."
Pitcairn Island, which has no airport and can be reached only by boat, was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.
The island's population peaked to more than 250 in the 1930s, but there are now just 50 people living there.
The convicted men are:
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