Sex offender caught by vigilante group avoids jail

A former school janitor whose illicit online chats with young teenage girls were exposed by a vigilante paedophile group has avoided a jail stint.

Andrew Charles Page is no longer in his job at Evie Primary School, and ended up in emergency accommodation after his offending was discovered.

The 63-year-old was given a three-year community payback order when he appeared for sentence at Kirkwall Sheriff Court this Wednesday. He has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work, and has been banned from unsupervised contact with under 16-year-olds except for unavoidable contact.

Page has also been banned from deleting any internet browsing activity and has to allow police and social workers to examine any phone, laptop or internet-enabled device to ensure he is not breaking the law.

He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.

Full report in next week’s edition of The Orcadian.