Prosecutor Emma Dowling told Newcastle Crown Court: "The officer gives a full description of the images, which he says were some of the worst he has seen."
Judge Stephen Ear added: "They are described as extremely offensive."
Carey admitted six offences of making indecent photographs of a child as well as three of possessing indecent images.
He also pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing indecent images, possessing prohibited cartoon images of a child and possessing extreme pornography.
His case was adjourned until the week of March 20 for a pre-sentence report and for a psychiatrist to see him.
Carey, of Langdale Close, Longbenton, was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and was further released on unconditional bail.
Robin Patton, defending, said: "The seriousness has been known to him since his arrest."
A previous hearing at magistrates court heard the charges relate to photos and movies of category A, the most serious, through to category C, the least serious, and were found on a phone, memory stick and laptop.
A spokesman for the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children said: "Carey's stomach-turning collection is a catalogue of crime scenes which show innocent children being robbed of their dignity.
"Behind every online abuse image is a child who has suffered a torrid ordeal in the real world but Carey's library shows that he was only bothered about his own gratification.
"Law enforcement must be given the resources to tackle this growing threat because they do not have a model fit for the future.
"The NSPCC wants to see a specialist digital child abuse unit in every police force, trained to deal with sexual and other online offences against children."
