A predator who befriended kids online before blackmailing them has been jailed for 20 years. Catfish Alexander McCartney has admitted 185 charges involving 70 children, although a court has previously been told that the real number of victims is much higher.
The 26-year-old, from Northern Ireland, posed as a young girl to befriend other girls on Snapchat. He would blackmail his victims after they shared intimate images, threatening them with their families and online.
Victims have been identified around the world, including 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas. The schoolgirl from West Virginia in the US shot herself in May 2018. Her suicide came after McCartney demanded her to involve her younger sister in sex acts.
Eighteen months later, her heartbroken father Ben Thomas also died by suicide. McCartney has pleaded guilty to manslaughter relating to Cimarron’s death. Today, he was jailed for life at Belfast Crown Court with a minimum term of 20 years.
As reported in the Mirror, his global web of catfishing, blackmail and sexual abuse is believed by police to have targeted about 3,500 children. The “terrified and distraught” child begged McCartney to leave her alone but he told her he would start “spreading” the photos unless she gave him what he wanted. She messaged him saying “I will shoot myself…”
McCartney callously replied “Goodbye and good luck.” After the chat ended Cimarron’s younger sister found her sibling dead on the floor of their parent’s bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head and her father’s handgun nearby, the court heard.
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. Victims being identified all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand and the US.
The scale of the offending by McCartney stunned even the most experienced investigators, one describing it as a “paedophile enterprise”. McCartney, who carried out the crimesin the bedroom of his childhood home, used his technical knowledge as a computer science student to carry out his crimes.
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. Once he had secured a picture from his victims, he would then reveal the “catfish” and blackmail 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, including in March 2019 after Police Scotland contacted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in relation to a report of a 13-year-old girl who was being groomed by McCartney.
When police raided his home, he was in the middle of offending and Snapchat was open on one of his phones. Devices seized from his bedroom were found to contain hundreds of thousands of indecent photographs and videos of underage girls.
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”.
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.”
If you are affected by this story there are many people who would be happy to talk to you:
Samaritans
If you need to talk and don’t know where to turn to, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively you can email [email protected] or visit the website to find your local branch.
SANEline
If you or somebody you know is experiencing a mental health problem, SANEline’s helpline is open between 4.30pm and 10.30pm every day on 0300 304 7000.
Mind
The mental health charity Mind has resources aimed at helping you cope with and plan for a crisis. Visit their website for details on helplines, how to access crisis services and what to do if you’re unable to get help yourself. Support line: 0300 102 1234
In an emergency, dial 999 for urgent help
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