A PERVERTED university student who had a ‘repugnant’ collection of child abuse images has avoided being sent to prison ‘by the skin of his teeth’.

Kyle Taylor had 162 images and videos of degrading sexual abuse of children as young as four on his mobile phone when police raided his Middlesbrough flat.

The 21-year-old was caught with 22 Category A images and seven videos, which is the highest offence; 28 category images and one video; 104 Category C images with one video; and eight prohibited images stashed on his mobile phone.

Paul Rooney, prosecuting, outlined some the sickening content of Taylor's perverted collection when he appeared before Teesside Crown Court for sentence.

The court heard how police searched the flat on Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, where the defendant was living in November 2019.

Authorities were alerted when an email address and social media profile was connected to child abuse images and traced back to the defendant.

Taylor, of Rutland Road, Consett, pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of indecent images and possession of prohibited images.

Christine Egerton, in mitigation, urged the judge to take into consideration her client's pre-sentence report and said he had expressed shame and remorse.

"The author has made it clear he is experiencing shame and regret for what he did and also, importantly, she says this 'his display of shame and regret appeared genuine'," she said.

"Whilst it is not an excuse in anyway it is clear that this offending did take place at a time when he was isolated."

Judge Jonathan Carroll told Taylor he had missed prison 'by the skin of your teeth' as he sentenced him for his 'repugnant' collection of child abuse images.

He said: "It is sometimes thought by people such as yourself, who commit these type of offences, that somehow 'I am not abusing the children' – if that was your thought, you are wrong.

"When you seek out material such as this, and watch material such as this, you continue the market for it and you play your part in the abuse of all of these young children."

Taylor was sentenced to 12 months and three weeks, suspended for 18 months.

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