MAN JAILED FOR ONLINE CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A man from Congleton has received a prison sentence after being convicted of multiple offences, including possessing extreme pornography and attempting to communicate sexually with minors.Mark Gould, aged 63 and residing on Park Road in Congleton, was given a four-year prison term on Thursday, 14 May 2026.
He had earlier admitted to 17 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and 10 counts aimed at inciting a child aged between 13 and 15 to partake in sexual acts.
Additionally, Gould confessed to four counts of distributing indecent images of children, three counts of creating such images, and one count of possessing extreme pornography.
Court proceedings revealed that in 2025, Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) received information indicating Gould was involved in sexual exchanges with minors through social media platforms.
On 27 June, authorities visited Gould’s residence and took him into custody.
During the search of his property, police recovered two mobile phones.
While in detention, Gould denied the allegations; however, digital media analysis uncovered message exchanges on two social platforms where he communicated with underage individuals some under 16 and encouraged them to send sexualised images.
He also sent explicit pictures of himself.
More than 20 illicit images, including three extreme pornographic images, were found stored on his devices.
Gould pleaded guilty to a total of 35 charges at his initial court appearance on 2 April 2026.
In addition to his prison sentence, Gould is mandated to register as a sex offender indefinitely and has been issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
