JOSHUA GOULD FROM GRAYS SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD SEX OFFENSES AND ANIMAL ABUSE

In January 2019, a disturbing case unfolded involving Joshua Gould, a resident of Grays, who was found guilty of heinous crimes involving the abuse of children and animals. The case came to light after police investigations revealed that Gould had attempted to commit a sexual assault on an 18-month-old baby, an act he was caught on film while recording the abuse. This shocking incident was part of a broader pattern of criminal behavior that spanned several years.

Gould, aged 23 at the time, was also found to have accumulated a vast collection of indecent images, hoarding more than 1,000 photographs and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Among these were 240 moving images and 62 still photographs classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of abuse. Additionally, there were 200 moving images and 73 still images categorized as Category B, along with 19 moving images and 750 still images in Category C. The material also included 52 extreme pornographic images involving animals, specifically oral sex or sexual intercourse with a female dog, some of which involved very young children as young as three months old.

Police executed a raid on Gould’s residence on Seabrooke Rise in Grays on January 13 of the previous year. During the operation, officers detained Gould in the car park while they searched his property. The investigation was prompted by evidence that his IP address had been uploading indecent images of children. Gould admitted during a police interview that he possessed these images and claimed that his girlfriend, with whom he was living at the time, was unaware of his criminal activities. He described himself as being “wrong in the head” and confessed to finding “pleasure in the images.”

Following his initial confession, Gould wrote a letter to the investigating officer, detailing what they would find on his devices, which included a mobile phone, a laptop, and an external hard drive. As the police examined his devices, they discovered that the indecent material contained live abuse footage, including videos of Gould himself harming innocent children, one of whom was just 18 months old. Some of this material dated back to 2012 and showed him exposing himself during a game of ‘hide and seek.’

When re-interviewed, Gould refused to answer questions verbally, instead writing down the name of the child he had abused. The police then had to identify the victims through the images, requiring parents to recognize their children from the material. The investigation confirmed that Gould had documented his abuse over several years, with some of the footage showing him exploiting children as young as three months old. The authorities found that Gould had documented three different children in total, with the abuse spanning multiple years.

At Basildon Crown Court, Gould appeared in the dock on January 30, where he pleaded guilty to eight charges related to his crimes. The case was presided over by Judge Samantha Leigh, who initially saw only charges concerning the possession of indecent images. Recognizing the severity of the live abuse footage, the judge ordered a review of the case to ensure a thorough investigation. During sentencing, Judge Leigh emphasized the emotional toll on the victims’ families, stating, “Parents had to identify their children from the photographs, which of course makes it worse in their mind. They have now seen a very small part of what you did to their daughters. This has been going on for a number of years, and you said you were an opportunist, but that’s not what I have from some of the footage and from the span of time.”

Gould’s full list of charges included attempted rape of a child under 13, multiple counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, and taking indecent photographs of children. Specifically, he faced charges for attempting to rape an 18-month-old, as well as assaulting other young girls. He was also charged with possessing indecent images, including those involving animals, with one count relating to images of sexual intercourse with a dead or alive animal.

The court sentenced Gould to a total of ten years in prison, with an additional eight years on license following his release. He received three years for three counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, three years for possessing indecent images, and nine months for another related charge. An additional three months were added for possessing images involving animals. All sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning Gould will serve the full ten-year term before being eligible for parole, with the license period extending for another eight years after release.

Gould, who resides on Stevenson Avenue in Tilbury, was also subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), required to pay a victim surcharge, and mandated to register as a sex offender. As he was led away from the courtroom, a member of the public gallery shouted in anger, expressing that the sentence was “not enough” and hurling curses at Gould before he was escorted out by security personnel. The case highlights the disturbing extent of Gould’s criminal activities and the profound impact on his victims and their families.