Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Page has been jailed for 12 years for ‘grotesque’ child sex offences.
The 62 year old was charged with five counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.
He was found guilty of four charges and not guilty of one, Tesside Live reports.
Page paid money to sexually exploit vulnerable Filipino children for his own sexual gratification.
Teesside Crown Court heard how he signed up to online dating agency, Filipino Cupid, before engaging in explicit conversations with a young girl and offering to pay them to perform sex act.
He then travelled to the Philippines with the intention of fulfilling his sexual fantasies of sexual abusing young girls and a teenage boy.
(Image: Teesside Live)
Judge Paul Watson QC told the defendant that he was a “serial” sexual offender over a three-year period.
Sentencing him, the judge described Page as “the embodiment of depravity”.
He said Page “took advantage of the poverty and deprivation in a country where children are routinely forced into acts of prostitution”.
The judge continued: “Your sole purpose was to engage young children as young as 12 into sexual activity, and it didn’t matter to you that you were robbing them of their innocence or the long term damage.”
(Image: The Gazette)
The court heard Page was only concerned with the “satisfaction of his corrupt sexual desires”.
Judge Watson QC said he was satisfied that on each of the four offences of arranging the commission of a sexual offence with a child, that the victim was “a real child rather than a fictional child, working in the Philippines”.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Carter from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: “We welcome today’s sentence which recognises the lasting harm Page caused to his victims.
“As a result of our investigation we were able to safeguard children so they are no longer at risk of abuse.
(Image: Ian Cooper / Teesside Live)
“Indeed I believe this sentence means the children of the Philippines will be that bit safer, not just because Page is starting a prison sentence, but because others intent on causing children harm in this part of the world may now think twice, in the knowledge that Cleveland Police and other UK Forces will continue to work closely with social media networks and our partners in the National Crime Agency around the world to eradicate the sexual exploitation of children.”
Like what you see? Then fill your boots…
There’s MUCH more where that came from! Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our showbiz, TV and soaps newsletters – they’ll drop straight into your inbox and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We’ll bring you the inside track from telly expert Ed Gleave and soap specialist Sasha Morris. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs.
You can sign up here – you won’t regret it…
Detective Carter added: “Page attempted to distract the court from the awful truth of his actions.
“He refused to accept responsibility, attempting instead to lay blame on everyone but himself.
“I would like to thank the jury for their professionalism while considering a large amount of complex digital evidence.
“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.”
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newslettershere
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
