A PERVERT has been jailed after vile child abuse images were discovered on his computers.

Paedophile Brian Paterson was caught with more than 10,000 images and video clips of children during a police raid.

The 74-year-old, who admitted to police he was a “massive pervert”, will spend up to ten months in jail after admitting a series of offences involving the downloading of sexual abuse from a file sharing website.

Among his library of pictures were 1,333 images and 174 films of the most vile and disturbing “Category A” abuse of babies and toddlers.

The pensioner, of Hickory Avenue, Colchester, will be on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and a sexual harm protection order, banning him from going online, among other measures, for life.

Geoffrey Porter, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday, said: “Police attended on account of intelligence over his use of the internet.

“He opened the door and said: ‘I am a pervert, a massive pervert’.”

Abuse images were found on three laptops, three hard drives, two memory cards and DVDs collected between 2009 and 2014.

Catherine Bradshaw, mitigating in front of a tearful Paterson, said he has embarked on a course of counselling for the first time since the Sixties when he had breakdowns and electric shock therapy as a result of the mental trauma following experiences he had as a child.

Judge Jonathan Seely of his offences: “It is not a victimless crime.”

Ms Bradshaw told the court the best way to keep the public safe was by imposing a suspended sentence order which allowed him to continue with treatment.

She said he began looking to try to “settle his demons” but this “opened up” something inside Paterson.

However, Judge Seely decided he could not justify suspending the sentence.

Paterson’s collection included bestiality, cartoon sex crimes, DVDs, movies and images.

As well as the Category A images there were 3,332 images and 30 movies at Category B and 5,310 images and 60 movies at Category C.

In addition, there were 39 prohibited images.

Paterson had previously admitted three counts of downloading and one of possessing prohibited images.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “By downloading these horrific images Paterson has helped to sustain a market for abusing children.

"Behind every image is a real child who has suffered horrendous forms of sexual abuse and when offenders view them they are helping to maintain a vicious cycle of crime.

“Paterson needs more than just locking up - in prison he must be placed on an effective treatment programme to ensure he doesn’t pose a risk to children when he is released."