The man behind the ‘biggest catfish case’ the UK has ever seen has finally been taken down after one of his teenage victims bravely reported his abuse to the police.

Alexander McCartney sentenced to life imprisonment He must spend at least 20 years behind bars before being considered for release, a judge ruled at Belfast Crown Court yesterday (25 October).

Police said the 26-year-old, from County Armagh in Northern Ireland, was suspected of ‘abusing on an industrial scale’ and targeting up to 3,500 children in 30 countries. social media.

computer science student who pleaded guilty to 185 charges involving at least 70 children around the world WorldHe would befriend young people on online platforms before announcing that he had ‘streamed’ them and beginning to blackmail them.

he would Send disturbing messages to children He asks for sexually explicit images, then threatens to reveal the images unless they do what he says.

One of his victims, 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas, tragically committed suicide in May 2018 rather than comply with McCartney’s demands to include her younger sister in the abuse.

WE The schoolgirl’s father, Ben, committed suicide 18 months later.

How was Alexander McCartney caught?

McCartney committed his terrible act crimes He was removed from his bedroom in his childhood home and, despite his previous run-ins with the law, was only brought to justice after a 13-year-old girl bravely reported his plot to the police.

The victim, who was from Scotland, contacted authorities in spring 2019, who then contacted police in Northern Ireland (PSNI) to alert detectives.

Catherine Kierans, acting head of the Prosecution Service’s serious crime unit, recalled how she was informed that “something big was coming up” that “involved catfishing”. the BBC.

Alexander McCartney was sentenced to life imprisonment for his horrific crimes (Police Service of Northern Ireland/PA)

She described how McCartney’s victims played a key role in defeating the predator, describing him as harassing ‘at all hours of the day’ and threatening young people ‘in the most depraved way’.

“Some of the children raised the alarm, which helped the police identify him in the first place,” Kierans said. “But some children did not tell anyone about their experiences until the police knocked on the door.

“From the beginning, the level of abuse was so horrific that we feared these children would be OK once they were identified.

“Unfortunately, our worst fears were somehow realized when we learned that one of the little girls had committed suicide.

“Working closely with American authorities, we were able to prove that this child committed suicide during the abuse, while still online with McCartney.

“At that point, the child’s death was so linked to abuse that we felt we had strong evidence that he had killed her.”

McCartney was brought to justice

McCartney first came on the police’s radar in January 2016, when officers seized a large number of electronic devices – four laptops, eight computer tablets and nine mobile phones – which were found to contain 3,490 indecent images.

He was arrested the following month before being released on bail before his home was searched again in March 2018.

Cops returned to the property again in March 2019 after the 13-year-old victim reported the abuse, and he was eventually arrested on multiple charges on July 30, 2019, RTE reports.

26-year-old targeted victims worldwide on social media (Facebook)

Police in question A press release stated that a total of 64 devices belonging to McCartney were seized, containing ‘tens of thousands of photographs and videos of underage girls engaging in sexual acts while under blackmail’.

Cimarron pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Thomas and also pleaded guilty to 59 counts of racketeering, as well as charges of distributing indecent images and inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

His Honor Judge O’Hara told Belfast Crown Court that there were ‘young girls, their younger siblings, all over the world whose childhoods were scarred by this defendant’.

The judge described the 26-year-old’s crimes as acts of ‘sadism and depravity’ and said he showed ‘no remorse’, ‘ignored many opportunities to stop’ and ‘ignored many pleas for mercy’.

The court heard McCartney’s offending took place between 2014 and 2019, starting when he was 17.

Kierans said it was ‘one of the saddest and most prolific cases of child sexual abuse we have ever seen in the PPS’, but despite the efforts of the police some victims remain unidentified.

“McCartney’s crimes harmed thousands of children and left them and their families facing traumatic consequences,” he added.

“Their bravery stands in stark contrast to their cowardice in targeting defenseless young girls.”

McCartney must serve 20 years in prison before being considered for parole, but the five years he spent in custody will count towards his sentence.

He has been detained in Maghaberry Prison since 2019.

If you are affected by any of these issues and would like to talk to someone in confidence, please do not suffer alone. You can call the Samaritans free of charge on their 24-hour anonymous phone line on 116 123..

If you are affected by any of these issues and would like to talk to someone you can trust about the child’s welfare, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm. If you are a child looking for advice and support, call Childline on 0800 1111, free 24/7.