Predator in ‘UK’s largest catfishing case’ drove 12-year-old girl to suicide
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A habitual online deceiver from Northern Ireland, who led one of his victims in the U.S. to end her life, has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 20 years.
Internet predator Alexander McCartney, 26, had exploited the Snapchat platform to connect with teenage girls globally, persuading them to share explicit pictures.
After obtaining a photo of his targets, he would expose his true identity as the “catfish” and coerce them into engaging in sexual acts through blackmail.
He confessed to 185 offenses involving 70 minors, although it has already been stated in court that the true number of victims is significantly greater.
McCartney, who impersonated a young girl to connect with his vulnerable targets, is thought to be the most notorious catfishing perpetrator in the UK. His victims have been found in 30 different countries around the globe.
In May 2018, a twelve-year-old girl named Cimarron Thomas from West Virginia chose to end her life instead of following McCartney's requests for her to engage her younger sister in inappropriate activities.
Eighteen months later, her devastated father, Ben Thomas, also took his own life.
The court was informed that he often focused on girls who were struggling with their sexual identity and body image issues, and he would coax them into sending a picture.
He would then open the notes app on his phone, where he had a ready-made statement that he could easily copy and paste into the chat.
The message would usually read something like: "Okay, I used a fake camera app to capture your pictures. I have photos of your face as well as some personal images. You need to follow my instructions for tonight, and then I'll disappear. If you refuse, I will post everything online for everyone to see. Do you get it?"
In many instances, he would threaten to send the images to other offenders or pressure his victims to include their pets or household items.
In Cimarron's situation, she was approached by McCartney in May 2018 and was a victim of blackmail. Afterward, she returned to school, thinking the nightmare was behind her. Unfortunately, the perpetrator reached out to her once more, insisting that she involve her sister in the abuse.
Even though she begged him to cease and mentioned that she might call the police or harm herself, he responded with indifference. He proceeded to count down and warned her that he would share the images with her father, the first person in her contacts.
Cimarron's younger sister discovered her lifeless body in their parents' bedroom, and she passed away later that evening at the hospital.
In an earlier court session, he accepted a plea deal for manslaughter in connection with Cimarron's death.
He also acknowledged 59 instances of blackmail, numerous accusations connected to the creation and sharing of explicit images, and a significant number of allegations involving encouraging children to participate in sexual acts.
McCartney, who hails from Lissummon Road near Newry in Northern Ireland, applied his expertise as a computer science student to commit his illegal activities.
He committed his crimes from his childhood bedroom, with authorities estimating that he aimed to exploit around 3,500 children in 30 different countries.
The extent of his criminal activities has shocked even the most seasoned investigators, with one referring to it as a "child exploitation operation."
McCartney came to the attention of law enforcement in Northern Ireland in 2016 after being arrested for having indecent images of children on his electronic devices. At that time, no victims had been identified, and he was released on bail. He was again arrested for similar charges in 2018.
Even with police monitoring and bail restrictions in place, McCartney kept committing crimes. He obtained new phones and laptops to replace the ones that had been taken from him.
In 2019, Police Scotland reached out to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to alert them that an adult was grooming a 13-year-old girl. This information resulted in the suspect's arrest. During a police search of his home, they found him in the act of committing offenses. His device had Snapchat open, and authorities uncovered hundreds of thousands of inappropriate images and videos involving underage girls.
In some of the videos taken by the police, victims can be heard begging McCartney to stop. One young girl kept saying she would take her own life and that her mother was suffering from cancer. His response was cold: “I don’t care about you or your mother.”
He warned one victim who resisted his demands that he would send people to her home to assault her. When another victim mentioned contacting the police, he responded confidently, saying, “I’m safe; I've been at this for over a year.”
When he was taken into custody, it marked the beginning of one of the most extensive catfishing probes globally and a significant legal case in Northern Ireland's history. This also represented the first instance in the UK where a victim of manslaughter lived outside the country and had never met their assailant face to face.
During the sentencing at Belfast Crown Court, Mr. Justice O'Hara remarked that it was hard to envision a "sexual deviant" who represented a greater danger than McCartney.
He mentioned, "As far as I know, there's never been a situation quite like this where someone has exploited social media on such a massive scale to cause horrific and devastating harm to young girls, even leading to the tragic death of a 12-year-old."
"The defendant showed no signs of remorse. He dismissed several chances to halt his actions and turned a deaf ear to numerous requests for compassion. He continued to lie repeatedly without hesitation."
The judge stated, "In my opinion, it's hard to imagine a sexual offender who presents a higher danger than this individual."
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan of the PSNI described Alexander McCartney's criminal activities as being on a "massive scale."
"I consider the judge's remarks, stating that McCartney is a vicious, unyielding, and cruel child predator," he expressed.
"There was no force that could hold him back, except for possibly locking him up."
