December 2020 Middlesbrough pervert boasted about his ‘collection’ of child abuse images A pervert who boasted about the quality of his collection of indecent images of children has avoided prison to ensure he received treatment to tackle his addiction. Mario Gould used a social media platform to access and share child abuse videos and photographs with other sexual deviants. The 37-year-old was arrested after Cleveland Police received a tip-off that he had been using search terms commonly associated with people searching online for child sex abuse images. Teesside Crown Court heard Gould admitted he had access to 67 Category A, 205 Category B and 462 Category C images following the raid on his home in February last year. Ellen Wright, prosecuting, said: “One of the messages read ‘I can afford to be picky because I have a nice collection’.” She said the defendant told officers the offending had nothing to do with his partner when he was arrested but denied having any sexual interest in young children when later interviewed. Judge Jonathan Carroll told Gould the public would be better served if the defendant received treatment for his sexual deviancy and . He said: “At the moment you are still struggling to come to terms with your offences and sexual proclivity and that such sexual interest is regarded, quite rightly, as truly horrifying by the general public.” Gould, of Brompton Street, Middlesbrough, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years. He was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order for ten years to protect young people from him.