March 9, 2022

ENGLAND: Ex-BBC Radio DJ Found Guilty Of Trying To Arrange Sex With Children As Young As 12 In The Philippines. He Became Involved In Charity Work To Gain Access To Vulnerable Children.

The Daily Mail, UK
written by Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent
Wednesday March 9, 2022

A former Radio One DJ was today convicted of using Facebook and Skype to arrange to have sex with children as young as 12 in the Philippines.

Mark Page, who worked at the station in the 1980s, even tried to bargain down the price for a sexual encounter with a girl aged 12 and a boy of 13, saying 3,000 pesos - around £44 at today's exchange rate - was too much.

The disgraced DJ, well known on Teesside as the match announcer at Middlesbrough FC games for 20 years until his arrest, had a lengthy career in broadcasting and set up a successful radio station for the British Army.

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

The 63-year-old divorced father-of-three was convicted of four out of five counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The jury cleared him of one of the charges.

Two of these offences were committed remotely from the UK in 2016, while two happened in the Philippines on separate trips made by Page in 2016 and 2019.

Facebook alerted a charity following concerns raised about messaging on its platform. The charity informed UK law enforcement and Cleveland Police carried out a search warrant at his home in January 2020.

Analysts studied a tablet, mobile phone and computer tower and checked his Skype activity, texts, bank account and money transfers before charging him.

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.

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

Page, of Teesside, had no previous dealings with police and was of previously good character, but Miss 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.

Miss 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.'

Page will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court tomorrow.
The Daily Star, UK
written by Carly Hacon, Showbiz Reporter
Monday February 28, 2022

The jury at Mark Page's trial has been told that the former radio DJ allegedly asked a 14-year old Filipino girl, who he was meeting, to bring a 12 or 13-year-old girl and a young boy with her.

Ex-BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Page allegedly asked a 14-year old Filipino girl to bring other children with her to his hotel room, a jury has been told.

The allegations about the former Boro match-day announcer were made in court on Monday (February 28).

The former voice of the Riverside has been accused of a child sex offence with the 14-year-old girl on a visit to the Philippines back in October 2016.

On Monday (February 28), Teesside Crown Court heard that DJ had checked into The Prince Plaza II Condotel in Makati several years ago.

The prosecution alleges he sent a string of messages to the girl in question where he asked her to bring another underage girl and boy with her to his room.

One text allegedly read: "Hi it’s Marky. Maybe we meet tomorrow 4pm. I’m in Makati. Who will you bring with you?"

"How old the girl?" When the child responded "15", he then allegedly texted: "Ah I wanted 12 or 13", before then asking how old the boy is.

Prosecutor Jo Kidd then alleged to the court's jury how he had then entered into a graphic sexual discussion with her before bargaining over the price for the encounter.

It is claimed he argued that "3K (in pesos) too much".

The prosecutor also alleges that Page used his credit card to transfer 2,000 pesos to the child's account after he met with her alone.

Another child sex offence he has been accused of consists of information that allegedly shows him chatting online to a Filipino child from his old address in Rowallanne Gardens, North Yorkshire.

In this case, the jury heard that the DJ then transferred the child's money via Western Union.

Page, 62, has denied five counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, between the time frame of August 2016 and April 2019.

Jo Kidd also told the jury that he had been a regular user of a Filipino dating site - Filipinocupid.com - where he exchanged graphic sexual messages with a child.

The prosecution said to the court that Page allegedly called himself "Bancho" online and asked a child to find an even younger friend to Skype him, adding "Girls 12 - can do it ok".

UPDATE 3/9/22 at 4:43pm: Add info below.
EXTRA DETAILS
The Daily Mail, UK
written by Kate Dennett
Monday February 28, 2022

A former radio executive arranged payment to have children as young as 12 in the Philippines meet him for sex, a court has been told.

Mark Page, 63, of Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, denies five counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Three of the offences were said to have occurred in 2016 on webcams, when he was in the UK and the children were in the Philippines, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The remaining two offences were said to have happened in person after Page, who was also a DJ, travelled to the Philippines.

It was alleged Page, who was at the time managing director of Garrison FM which broadcast to British Army bases, used the pseudonyms Pancho and Thai-G on a Philippines-based dating app.

Page is accused of sending explicit Skype messages to a 14-year-old girl in the Philippines, asking for a 12-year-old girl to join her.

It is alleged that Page had asked for someone younger when she said she would invite a 15-year-old schoolgirl to perform sexual acts with her.

The prosecutor said Page denies being responsible, and that by implication, somebody else used his Skype account, his dating app account and someone else arranged the payments.

The court heard that Page later travelled to the Philippines and made arrangements via text messages to meet the same girl and a 13-year-old boy.

Page is accused of bargaining down the price to have the boy involved, saying in a message '3k too much for him', before later making a payment of 2,000 Philippine pesos (around £30).

It was alleged Page arranged for the children to go to his room at the Prince Plaza ll Condotel in Makati City in October 2016 after he had graphically described what he intended to do.

Hours after the arrangement had been made, the court heard that Page texted the girl saying: 'Thanks babe.'

Days later, the agreed sum left his credit card and was paid out via Western Union in the Philippines, the court heard.

Jurors were told that Facebook monitors raised concerns about messages which exploited children which were sent to a charity that protects young people.

The charity contacted UK law enforcement and Cleveland Police carried out a search warrant at Page's home in in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, in January 2020.

Officers seized his phone, tablet and a computer tower, which were analysed, and which the Crown said showed Page had been in contact with children in the Philippines and had arranged payments by money transfers.

Prosecutor Jodie Kidd told the court: 'The Prosecution case is that Mark Page arranged to contact and meet children in the Philippines and the purpose of the communication was to arrange to carry out child sex offences over web cams and also when he travelled to the Philippines.

'He used his business and charity as a cover to meet up and under age people in order to met them for sex.'

Police found conversations between Page and the girl aged 14, who he allegedly met via a dating site called Filipinocupid using the Pancho pseudonym.

In August 2016, Page allegedly told the girl he will be visiting the Philippines and asked her: 'Can you fix a schoolgirl for me? How young can you do babe?'

The girl responded: 'I can bring a schoolgirl who is 15.'

Page is then said to have responded: 'Younger than her?'

When the girl responded: 'Ok, 12,' to which Page allegedly replied: 'Girls 12 can do it OK'.

In October 2016, Page travelled to the Philippines and Ms Kidd showed jurors a photograph him geolocated to the country at the relevant time.

She read text messages in which he allegedly arranges for the 14-year-old girl to attend his room on the ground floor of the Prince Plaza ll hotel.

The court heard Page messaged the girl to say: 'Hi, it's Marky. Maybe we meet tomorrow at 4pm. I'm in Makati, who will you bring with you?'

Ms Kidd said the girl arranged to bring a 13-year-old boy with her and they haggled over the price.

Police discovered evidence that Page was still active three years later when he allegedly tried to coerce another Filipino girl, this time aged 13, into sexual activity.

Jurors were told he arranged to meet with the girl and agreed a fee of 1,000 Philippine pesos (around £14.50).

Following his arrest in January 2020, Page denied that he was the person behind the messages and replied 'no comment' to questions put to him by detectives.

Ms Kidd told the court: 'Mark Page denies that he is responsible for these conversations.

'By implication somebody else must have used his Skype account, somebody else must have known he was a member of Filipinocupid.com and must have known he used the pseudonym Pancho.

'Someone else must have been able to get into his Western Union account and arranged the bank transfer because Mark Page says that it was not him.'

Page denies five charges of arranging the commission of child sexual offences in August 2016, October 2016 and March and April 2019 involving girls aged 14, 13 and 12 and a boy aged 13.

The trial, which is expected to last five to seven days, continues.

No comments: