DJ Mark Page accused of arranging child sex says he was hacked

An ex-BBC Radio 1 DJ accused of trying to arrange sex with children as young as 12 in the Philippines was a victim of hacking, he told a court.

Mark Page told Teesside Crown Court he joined a Philippines-based dating site but others had access to a work-related email used to set up the account.

The 62-year-old, of Ingleby Barwick, denies five charges of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Three are alleged to have happened via webcam and two in the Philippines.

The jury previously heard Mr Page, who was on Radio 1 in the 1980s and was a former stadium announcer at Middlesbrough FC, had his phone, tablet and a computer tower seized after Facebook monitors raised concerns.

Jo Kidd, prosecuting, said in 2016 Mr Page sent explicit Skype messages to a girl in the Philippines, asking for a 12-year-old to join her.

He is also accused of asking for a boy to take part when he had travelled to the Philippines, and the final offence, in 2019, related to arranging a sexual encounter with a girl aged 13.

In his defence, Mr Page said: "I have the feeling, now looking at this case, that in some way, shape or form, I have been hacked.

"Somebody has had access to my accounts in different places along the line."

Asked why he made a voice-activated question on Google for the age of consent in the Philippines, Mr Page said he had been talking to a woman online who told him how old she was when she lost her virginity.

He said: "Afterwards I thought, 'Hmm, yeah, OK'."

The trial continues.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].