Mark Page: who is former Radio 1 DJ, what child sex offences was he convicted of, and what is his sentence

Mark Page, an ex-BBC Radio One DJ, has been convicted of arranging to have sex with children as young as 12 years old in the Philippines.

The charges against Page were brought about following a police investigation, during which Page’s devices were seized from his home under the execution of a search warrant in January 2020.

This is everything you need to know.

Who is Mark Page?

Page is best known as a former radio DJ, having been a presenter on the early weekend Breakfast Show on BBC Radio One from 1983 to 1986.

Page was born in Middlesbrough and throughout his broadcasting career, he also hosted BBC Radio Cleveland in 1975, the Breakfast Show on Radio Tees from 1978 to 1983, his own show Me Mark Page, Clyde FM and the army base radio Garrison FM, which he founded.

He is also well known on Teesside as the match announcer at Middlesbrough FC games for 20 years until his arrest.

The 63-year-old is a divorced father to three children.

What was he convicted of?

Page has been convicted of four out of five counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

Two of the offences were committed remotely in the UK in 2016 and the other two occurred in the Philippines on separate trips made by Page in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

Of the five counts brought against Page, the jury cleared him of one of the charges.

The court heard how Page attempted to haggle down the price of a sexual encounter with a girl, aged 12, and a boy, aged 13, claiming that 3,000 pesos (roughly £44) was too much.

Jo Kidd, prosecuting, drew parallels with higher profile paedophiles than Page during her damning closing speech to the jury.

Page had no previous dealings with police and was of previously good character, but Kidd said: “Some of you may be old enough to remember Jim’ll Fix It.

“You will remember watching It’s a Knockout.

“You will remember revelling in the size of Gary Glitter’s shoes.

“They were people who were spoken highly of, even people who were knighted by the Queen.”

She said there was almost a “state funeral” for Savile, with his golden coffin taken through the streets of Leeds.

Kidd continued: “I am not saying this on the basis that just because Mr Page was a Radio One DJ, that it makes him guilty of these offences.

“But it is worth noting, when one puts on a public face, when one carries out charity work, it does not mean the underbelly of their sexual depravity is not real.”

How was he caught?

Page used frequent business trips to the Philippines, as well as charity work, as a cover for his perverted interest in underage sex.

The court heard how Page used the likes of Skype, Facebook and text messaging to arrange sexual access to young children in the Philippines, both online and in person.

A charity was alerted by Facebook due to concerns raised about messages on its platform, which then went on to inform UK law enforcement and Cleveland Police.

Police carried out a search warrant at his home in January 2020, and, after seizing his devices, analysts studied a tablet, mobile phone and computer tower and checked Page’s Skype activity, texts, bank account and money transfers before charging him.

Page denied responsibility for the alleged communications, suggesting that someone else had used his Skype account, online dating account, mobile phone and Western Union bank account.

Page told the court that his devices had been hacked but did not mention this while he was being interviewed by police, as he gave “no comment” answers, later explaining to the jury he was in shock.

Oriana Frame, a Senior Crown Prosecutor with Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) North East, said: “The actions Mark Page took to contact and make arrangements for the sexual abuse of children show that he is a dangerous predator.

“He believed hiding behind fake accounts protected him from the discovery of his heinous crimes.

“We hope that the convictions against him today serve as a warning to any others attempting to arrange the sexual abuse of children online.

“There is always a digital trace of your actions and, where such evidence is discovered, we will work closely with police to robustly prosecute those involved.”

What is his sentence?

Page was sentenced today, Thursday 10 March, at Teesside Crown Court.

Judge Paul Watson QC jailed him for 12 years and imposed a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The judge said: “The offences of which you have been convicted involve the grotesque sexual abuse of young children for your own sexual gratification.

“You took advantage of the poverty and deprivation in an under-developed country in which children are routinely forced, through economic and social deprivation, into acts of prostitution.

“Your sole purpose was to engage children, as young as 12, in vile sexual activity to satisfy your perverted appetites.

“It did not matter to you that you were robbing them of the innocence of their childhoods, it did not matter to you what long-term trauma and emotional damage you were leading them to.

“You obviously delighted in their humiliation and the satisfaction of your own corrupt sexual desires.

“This was, in my view, the very embodiment of depravity.”

Detective Sergeant Kevin Carter from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team welcomed the sentence and said it may act as a deterrent for others.

He added: “The court heard how Page attempted to present himself as a respectable and credible individual, yet his actions betrayed the trust and confidence of many people, not least his family and close friends.”

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