UK : For the severe online sexual abuse of children and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl, a Northern Irish man received a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years behind bars.
The 26-year-old from County Armagh, Alexander McCartney, admitted 185 charges, including more than 50 counts of blackmail.
He is now one of the most prolific online child abusers in the world. He created fake personas to target up to 3,500 10 to 16-year-old victims from over 30 countries.
After Cimarron Thomas, a 12-year-old American, committed suicide in 2018 while he was abusing her, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
As it transpired: Alexander McCartney sentenced to at least 20 years in prison On Friday, Mr. Justice O’Hara told the Belfast Crown Court that McCartney, who has been in jail for five years, would not be considered for release until 2039.
He stated: I don’t feel sorry or ashamed.”
He went on to say that “a sexual deviant who poses more risk than this defendant” was hard to imagine.
What is catfishing, and how did McCartney respond to it?
Warning: The following section discusses disturbing details of severe child abuse and strong language.
“The UK’s largest catfishing case” has been referred to Alexander McCartney’s string of crimes committed between 2013 and 2019.
Catfishing is the online use of a fictitious identity to befriend and take advantage of victims.
The fake persona has been created by the “catfish.”
Utilizing messaging apps and social media, they typically target individuals for fraud and abuse.
McCartney brought terror and destruction to the lives of thousands of children all over the world from behind a computer screen at his home in Northern Ireland.
The majority of his victims were approached via Snapchat, though he did use Instagram and Kik on a few occasions.
He pretended to be a young girl on each of his 64 devices to get his victims to send intimate photos.
When he spoke to new victims, he sometimes used pictures he had taken of other young girls and pretended to be them.
When he had the photographs he would extort them for additional outrageous photos.
He stated that he would expose them to their friends and family if they did not send them.
He coerced the children into involving their younger siblings in the abuse, which also involved household objects and pets.
