In this episode of HJ Talks about Abuse, Alan Collins and Feleena Grosvenor discuss two very different cases which give rise to civil liability.
Mark Page
Mark Page is a former Radio 1 DJ and stadium announcer.
At the time of the offences, Mr Page worked as a managing director of armed forces radio station Garrison FM. He travelled to the Philippines regularly as part of this role and used it as a cover to meet young children.
Mr Page used webcam to contact victims before travelling to meet them in person in the Philippines.
He was convicted 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.
In this case, Mr Page tried to haggle down the price for a sexual encounter with a 13 year old boy and 12 year old girl from 3,000 pesos, around £44. He stated that the price was too expensive.
This case demonstrates significant pre-meditation and the abuse of a position whereby he could visit the Philippines without suspicion.
The Philippines is a place of poverty and it is estimated that 60,000 children in the Philippines have been forced into prostitution to survive.
The Hugh James abuse team have previously successfully pursued a case against a British citizen who travelled to the Philippines to commit sexual offences against children.
For those listening who work with victim’s who have been abused abroad, there may be a civil claim to pursue.
Hannah Harris
Hannah Harris was a teaching assistant in Hertfordshire.
Ms Harris has been found guilty of having sex with a boy who was a 14 year old pupil.
The case shows significant premeditation due to the fact that Ms Harris had contact with the boy’s parents and created a fictional story whereby she had a daughter who was the girlfriend of the boy she was abusing.
This case also illustrates an abuse of position. Ms Harris groomed the boy whilst at school and progressed matters outside of school.
Ms Harris’ actions give rise to civil liability, but it also raises the question of any liability of the school. In this case, we do not have enough facts to determine this but in general terms there are instances whereby a school will be liable for the abuse of its teachers.
For those listening who work with victim’s who have been abused by employees, there may be a civil claim to pursue and against an employer.
For those listening who work with victims subjected to similar offences, there may be a civil claim to pursue in the UK even if the abuse occurred abroad. There also may be liability of a school or other organisation depending on the circumstances. It is essential that you contact experienced legal representation to obtain legal advice.
- Mark Page: Former Radio 1 DJ guilty of child sex offences – BBC News
- Hoddesdon teaching assistant who had sex with pupil jailed – BBC News
- Teaching assistant, 23, jailed after having sex with 14-year-old pupil in supermarket car park and pretending to be mother of pupil’s fake girlfriend (gbnews.uk)
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