A VILE online predator from Northern Ireland who drove one of his catfish victims in the US to take her own life has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Alexander McCartney, 26, from Lisummon Road outside Newry, pretended to be a teenage girl to target children across the world, a practice known as catfishing.
Alexander McCartney posed as a young girl to befriend other girls on SnapchatPacemaker Press
Tragic Cimarron Thomas from West Virginia in the US took her own life in May 2018
He pleaded guilty to 185 charges involving 70 children, although a court has previously been told that the real number of victims is much higher.
The victims were aged between 10 and 16 and were targeted through social media platforms.
McCartney, who posed as a young girl to befriend other girls on Snapchat before blackmailing them, is believed to be the UK’s most prolific catfish offender with victims identified across the world.
Twelve-year-old Cimarron Thomas from West Virginia in the US took her own life in May 2018 rather than comply with McCartney’s demands for her to involve her younger sister in sex acts.
Eighteen months later, her heartbroken father Ben Thomas also died by suicide.
McCartney also pleaded guilty to manslaughter relating to Cimarron’s death.
He also admitted 59 counts of blackmail, dozens of charges related to making and distributing indecent photographs and scores of charges of inciting children to engage in sexual activity.
The offences cover a period from 2014 to 2019 with victims being identified all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand and the US.
McCartney sat with his head bowed in the dock during most of the sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court.
He stood up as Mr Justice O’Hara handed down a life sentence, looked briefly at the judge and then down towards the floor.
‘HARM CAUSED UNQUANTIFIABLE’
Delivering sentence on McCartney at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice O’Hara said he had caused harm to young girls across the world.
He said: “The prosecution has described the harm caused by the defendant as unquantifiable.
“I accept that description, subject to the proviso that the harm is inevitably and indisputably huge.
“There were young girls, with younger siblings, all over the world, whose childhoods have been scarred by this defendant.
“In many cases that fact may not be known to their adult carers.”
MINIMUM TERM
Judge O’Hara said he must serve 20 years in jail before he can be considered for release.
He told the court that the five years McCartney had already spent in custody would serve as part of his sentence.
He said: “The result is that he will be eligible for consideration for release by the parole commissioners, but not until 2039.
“I do not envy the commissioners having to reach their decision at that point.”
McCartney used his technical knowledge as a computer science student to carry out his crimes.
His offending was carried out from the bedroom of his childhood home.
‘DISTRESSING CASE’
Acting Head of the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service Serious Crime Unit Catherine Kierans said McCartney’s “depravity” was one of the “most distressing and prolific cases of child sexual abuse” the organisation had ever dealt with.
She said: “The damage McCartney caused to so many young lives is immeasurable.
“All McCartney’s victims were young, innocent children. Some of the estimated 3,500 girls he targeted, who were as young as 10, were already struggling with identity and body image issues and had reached out for help on social media.
“He sought to exploit that vulnerability in the most shocking ways. Some children pleaded for him to stop the abuse but he callously continued, at times forcing the victims to involve younger children, some aged just four.
“McCartney had victims in countries across the world. Given the scale and complexity of his offending, the PPS worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland from early in their investigation to advise on lines of enquiry and the evidence needed to build the most effective case.
“Tragically, one of his young victims, who was just 12, had taken her own life during an online chat in which he was threatening her and forcing her to engage in sexual activity. The two had never met in person.”
“There were young girls, with younger siblings, all over the world, whose childhoods have been scarred by this defendant.
Justice O’Hara
She continued: “Working closely with police, the prosecution team was able to establish to the criminal standard that McCartney’s actions had caused the girl’s death and he had a case to answer for manslaughter.
“This new application of the law was rightly tested in court including challenge from the defence. However, after legal argument, the trial judge agreed with the PPS and McCartney eventually pleaded guilty to killing the girl.
“We believe this to be the first time an abuser anywhere in the world has been held accountable for manslaughter where the victim and perpetrator have never met in person.”
McCartney, originally from Lissummon Road outside Newry, has been on remand in Maghaberry Prison since 2019.
He posed on the Snapchat social media platform as a teenage girl and befriended vulnerable girls aged between 10 and 16 who were gay or exploring their sexuality.
CONTINUED TO OFFEND
Once he had secured a picture from his victims, he would then reveal the “catfish” and blackmailed them into taking part in sex acts.
In some instances, he demanded his victims involve younger siblings.
McCartney told one girl he would get people to go to her house to rape her if she did not comply with his demands.
McCartney was arrested several times between 2016 and 2019 but continued to offend despite bail conditions until he was remanded in custody.
At a pre-sentence hearing last week, a prosecuting barrister said McCartney had degraded and humiliated his victims, stating that the harm caused to them was “unquantifiable”.
FAMILY PAIN
The barrister also read out parts of a victim impact statement which had been provided to the court by the grandparents of Cimarron Thomas.
The statement said: “Our lives will never be the same.
“We didn’t get to see her graduate, walk down the aisle or have children.
“We have been robbed of those memories. Our lives have changed forever.”
McCartney used his technical knowledge as a computer science student to carry out his crimes
Cimarron’s heartbroken father Ben Thomas took his own life after she died