Teacher admits guilt over child porn and trust abuse

8:28am Friday 4th July 2008

THE career and reputation of a Southampton teacher are in shreds today after he admitted sex and pornography charges.

But Michael Page left the city crown court secure in the knowledge that he will not receive an immediate term of imprisonment when he returns for sentence.

The religious education teacher had faced 15 charges following a complaint from a girl about his conduct towards her and the subsequent discovery of sordid images of other girls that had been downloaded onto his home computer.

He had denied all the allegations when his trial opened onMonday, but after the girl's videotaped evidence had been played to the jury, defence lawyer Simon Gruchy had discussions with Page before asking for the pornography charges to be put again.

The 41-year-old then admitted ten charges of making indecent images and one charge of possessing five indecent images.

On Wednesday, before jurors returned to court, Mr Gruchy had a further meeting with the defendant who changed his plea to guilty on one charge of an abuse of trust by having sexual activity with a girl by touching her bottom over her clothing.

Prosecutor Andy Houston said that in the circumstances the Crown took the view it was not in the public interest to carry on with the trial in which he faced three other similar allegations involving the same girl, and his guilty plea was a sufficient plea to the indictment.

Judge Derwin Hope told the jury they would be discharged from returning verdicts on those allegations and directed the counts should remain on the file.

Ordering a probation report, he granted Page unconditional bail until July 23 but told him he would not go to jail.

"Although this was a serious breach of trust in the light of her mental state, I am not going to impose an immediate custodial sentences, but all other sentencing options remain open."

Page, of Avon Road, Bitterne Park, was placed on the sex offenders' register. The judge said its duration would be determined by his sentence.

Following the complaint, Page had been suspended since June of last year from the Southampton school where he taught.