A former soldier has been sentenced to six years in prison for amassing over 600 weapons, including rifles, landmines, and grenades, in a Nazi-themed outbuilding he called his 'man cave' and 'personal museum'. Paul Page, 52, a convicted paedophile, stored the arsenal at his home in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, where the shed was draped in Nazi flags.
Discovery of the Cache
Officers uncovered the haul in May 2023 while investigating Page for downloading child abuse images. They found more than 250 illegal images on his devices, leading to a 20-month sentence in August 2023 after he admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and six counts related to illegal weapons possession. A subsequent investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) linked to further items in the outbuilding revealed additional prohibited items.
Extremist Materials and Weapons
Detectives from ERSOU's Counter Terrorism Policing unit established that Page had collected militaria linked to Nazi activity, as well as chemicals. While some memorabilia was legal, he possessed prohibited items including landmines, grenades, rifles, and ammunition. A book seized contained DIY instructions for producing a sub-machine gun, and component parts of firearms, bullet casings, and shells were recovered. Page had also downloaded a banned document with instructions for making viable explosives.
Denial of Extremist Mindset
Despite having an email address referencing numbers associated with Adolf Hitler and a tattoo linked to white supremacy, Page denied holding an extreme right-wing mindset during police interviews. He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to two counts of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, two counts of possessing an explosive substance, four counts of possessing a firearm without a certificate, two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm, possession of prohibited ammunition, and possession of ammunition without a certificate.
Sentence and Safeguarding
Page was sentenced at the Old Bailey to six years' imprisonment. Upon release, he will be subject to a serious crime prevention order lasting five years and a 10-year notification order. Judge Richard Marks KC remarked on Page's obsession with weapons and tools, noting that the items were stored in a residential area and could have been accessed by his children. Page addressed his PTSD from army service while in custody.
Hannah Wilkinson, Head of ERSOU, stated: 'This was not harmless collecting - it was a volatile mix of extremist obsession, weapons and explosive materials. Page had surrounded himself with items capable of causing catastrophic harm, alongside instructions on how to turn them into deadly reality. Left unchecked, this was a situation that could have ended in tragedy. His sentence reflects the very real danger he posed, and removing this haul of dangerous items from his control has undoubtedly protected the public.'
