Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A predator who pretended to be a young girl so he could catfish his victims has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 29 years behind bars.
Alexander McCartney, 26, from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, admitted to 185 charges involving at least 70 children ahead of his sentencing at Belfast Crown Court today (25 October).
For most of his sentencing, he sat in the court's dock with his head bowed, according to The Independent.
He is believed to be one of the most prolific online child abusers in the world, and investigators believe that he may have targeted up to 3,500 children in total.
His victims are from all over the globe, with cases including children in Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Operating from the bedroom of his childhood home, his method was to pose as a girl on social media platforms to befriend young girls and then he would begin to blackmail them.
One of his victims was Cimarron Thomas, a 12-year-old girl from the US who, in May 2018, took her own life instead of going along with McCartney's demands to involve her younger sister in the abuse. Her father Ben also died by suicide 18 months later.
McCartney pleaded guilty to manslaughter over the 12-year-old girl's death and also admitted to 59 counts of blackmail along with a slew of charges of distributing indecent images and inciting children to engage in sexual activity.
As reported by the BBC, Mr Justice O’Hara told Belfast Crown Court that there were 'young girls, with younger siblings, all over the world, whose childhoods have been scarred by this defendant'.
The judge described the 26-year-old's crimes as actions of 'sadism and depravity', saying he was 'remorseless' and 'ignored multiple opportunities to stop' and that he 'ignored multiple pleas for mercy'.
"In my judgment it is truly difficult to think of a sexual deviant who poses a greater risk than this defendant," Mr Justice O'Hara said.
He also said he didn't accept McCartney's claim that he'd been catfished himself before he started offending, saying that even if McCartney had been it'd have had a 'minimal' mitigating effect.
The judge told the court that the five years McCartney had already spent in custody would count as part of his sentence, so the earliest he will be eligible for parole is 2039.
Catherine Kierans of the NI Public Prosecution Service said some of McCartney’s victims were not able to be identified despite efforts from investigators, and praised the 'bravery' of the families affected by his crimes.
She said: "McCartney’s crimes have harmed thousands of children and left them and their families dealing with the traumatic aftermath.
"Their courage stands in stark contrast to his cowardice in targeting vulnerable young girls.
"I want to recognise their bravery, which has been an inspiration to everyone who worked on this case.
"The police and prosecution teams, including the senior independent barristers who assisted with this case, were dedicated to working together to end the harm McCartney was causing."
Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Crime Operations Department called McCartney 'nothing but a disgusting child predator' who was 'posing as young girls online to groom, manipulate and sexually abuse his victims'.
"As far as I am concerned there is only one place for McCartney and that is behind bars." he said.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Featured Image Credit: PSNI/FacebookTopics: UK News, Crime, World News, Technology
Joe Harker