Description
A registered sex offender who was found with child abuse images and a haul of illegal weapons has been jailed. Paul Page was being monitored by dedicated officers after he was previously convicted of child abuse in the USA.
The 49-year-old was arrested at his then home in Littleport on May 16 after intelligence suggested he was in possession of indecent images. Page admitted he had been downloading indecent images of children on to a USB stick.
Digital tests revealed a total of 254 images – 113 category C, 32 category B and 109 category A, which is the most severe. When Page was on bail, officers were alerted to a stash of rifles, pistols and crossbows.
The weapons were being kept in a shed at his former home in Littleport. Firearms officers seized 74 items, including 25 firearms.
Page, formerly of Littleport but now no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, six counts of possessing a weapon in a private place and two counts of possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid/gas/electrical incapacitation at Peterborough Crown Court on Wednesday (August 30). He was handed a prison sentence of one year and eight months.
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was put in place for 10 years to monitor any future offending. He remains on the Sex Offenders Register for life following his conviction in the USA.
DC Andrew McKeane, who manages sex offenders in the community, said: "Page is a dangerous sexual predator and I am pleased he has faced justice. Offenders are closely monitored to ensure they are complying with orders – to protect the public and help prevent further crime."
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: "Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah's Law. Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child can make an enquiry. This can include parents, carers, guardians, extended family, friends and neighbours."