Mark Page: Smart speaker audio matched paedophile ex-Radio 1 DJ's voice

Page was initially jailed for 12 years, which was later increased to 18 years

A former Radio 1 DJ jailed for child sex offences was caught partly by matching smart speaker audio to his distinctive voice, it has emerged.

Mark Page was jailed for arranging sexual abuse of children in the Philippines, both online and in person.

Data from Google Takeout was used for the first time during the two-year investigation by Cleveland Police.

Officers who worked on the case have now won a Home Office Internet Intelligence Award.

Page, previously of Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, was found guilty in March 2022 of four charges of arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

The divorced father of three was convicted at the age of 63 of two counts of abuse by using a webcam linking his home to the Philippines in 2016, and two more of offences while visiting the country in 2016 and 2019.

A selfie Mark Page took in Cebu City was shown in court to disprove his alibi

Page visited the Philippines regularly for business as managing director of armed forces radio station Garrison FM.

Teesside Crown Court heard he tried to haggle down the price for a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl and a boy of 13.

His initial sentence of 12 years was increased to 18 years under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Page was on Radio 1 in the 1980s and worked as Middlesbrough FC's stadium announcer for 20 years.

Officers from Cleveland Police were given the award at the Home Office's International Digital Investigation Awards.

Mark Page was a DJ at Radio 1 in the 1980s and latterly a stadium announcer for Middlesbrough FC

During the investigation, a computer in Page's office was logged into a Google account which allowed the team to take over the account and access the archive.

At the time, the national understanding about cloud data was still in its "early stages", the force said.

"This archive provided a comprehensive picture of Page's life, spanning devices used over a decade which showed he was geographically, photographically and financially linked to key locations where he committed his crimes," said Det Sgt Kevin Carter.

"The data also included 'Hey Google' voice recordings made by Page which linked his distinctive radio voice to crimes he was committing with his victims overseas."

Investigators identified three victims of exploitation in the Philippines who had been trafficked, based on the data.

Det Supt Anne-Marie Salwey, head of major, serious and organised crime, called it "a complex investigation" and praised her team's work.

"Most importantly, it has prevented further children from being exploited by Page," she added.