Veteran primary school teacher Clayton John Page pleads guilty to sending ‘14-year-old’ girl sexually explicit messages

The Tanunda father and veteran educator was accused of sending a series of explicit messages to someone he thought was a Year 9 student.

A man trusted to teach primary school aged children around the state for nearly 15 years has admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to a girl he believed to be 14-years-old, including asking her if he could set her “naughty homework”.

On Tuesday, Clayton John Page, 57, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to one count of communicating with the intention to make a child amenable to sexual activity.

Court documents released to The Advertiser revealed the Tanunda father of four had been sending sexually explicit messages to a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl via social media platforms Snapchat and Kik, however that person turned out to be a covert police officer.

Between August 31 and September 5 this year, Page sent a series of messages to the covert police officer, including asking them if “she” was in “Year 9?”

Former schoolteacher Clayton Page pleaded guilty to grooming a “teen girl” online. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE / Emma Brasier

Clayton Page was charged with communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity. Picture: LinkedIn

“I have never chatted with anyone your age,” Page wrote, “so I wasn’t sure what you’d think if I said it turns me on a bit.”

In one message, Page told the “girl” to delete chats from her phone, and asked if her mother ever looked at them.

In another message he “confessed” to the girl that he was a teacher, and asked her to “wag school.”

“I have a small confession … hope it doesn’t freak you out. Makes our chatting even naughtier – I’m a teacher,” he wrote.

“Wag school on Friday and I’ll meet u lol. I can pretend to be your dad or maybe uncle.”

After a search of Page’s home, detectives from the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team found the “open Snapchat application with the message thread” visible.

He was then charged and granted bail in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court, with a condition of his release be that he not engage in any “child related work”.

According to his LinkedIn, Page began teaching at the Waikerie Primary School in 2008 before going on to teach students in years 5-7 at Melaleuca Primary, Murray Bridge North School and most recently Mark Oliphant College.

Having also acted as a school counsellor during his career, Mr Page is currently searching for “casual work or a short term contract,” according to his LinkedIn.

Page was quiet on Tuesday when Chief Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal read out the details of his offending, and spoke only to enter his plea: “guilty.”

Page will face the District Court for sentencing later this year.