A former Clyde FM presenter who arranged to have sex with children as young as 12 in the Philippines has been caged for 12 years.
Shamed Mark Page - who once worked at Clyde FM and Scot FM - was found guilty on four accounts of the crime at a Crown Court in Teesside yesterday.
The trial heard how the pervert would even haggle for a sexual encounter with a girl aged 12 and a boy of 13, saying 3,000 pesos - around £44 - was too much.
And, the jury was informed how Page, from Middlesbrough, would use charity work and business trips as a cover to frequent the Philippines in his perverted interest for underage sex.
The 63-year-old divorced father-of-three was cleared of one out of the five charges of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.
Two of these crimes were committed remotely from the UK in 2016, while two happened in the Philippines on separate trips made by Page in 2016 and 2019.
The shameful acts came to light when Facebook contacted a charity after detecting concerning messages from his social media account.
The charity moved in to inform UK law enforcement and Cleveland Police, which carried out a search warrant at his home in January 2020.
Officers seized a tabled, mobile phone and computer tower and analysed his Skype activity, texts, bank account and money transfers before charging him.
The force hopes that Page's case will encourage others to "think twice" before carrying out the heinous violations.
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.
“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.
“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.”
Page, arrested in January 2020, started his lengthy career in broadcasting with the BBC, where he started off as a presenter at BBC Radio Cleveland 1975. He later set up a successful station for the British Army.
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