Dublin (Pakistan News) A man from Northern Ireland has been given a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years in jail for the extreme online sexual abuse of children and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl, Alexander McCartney, 26, from County Armagh, admitted 185 charges – including more than 50 blackmail offences.
according to media reports, Now one of the world’s most prolific online child abusers, he created fake personas to target as many as 3,500 victims, aged 10 to 16, from more than 30 countries.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a 12-year-old girl from the United States, Cimarron Thomas, took her own life in 2018 while he was abusing her.
On Friday, Mr Justice O’Hara told Belfast Crown Court that McCartney, who has been in custody for five years, would not be considered for release before 2039.
He said: “I do not sense remorse or shame.”
Alexander McCartney’s litany of crimes between 2013 and 2019 has been described as “the UK’s largest catfishing case”.
Catfishing involves the use of a false identity online to befriend and exploit victims, The ‘catfish’ is the person who has created the fake persona.
They target people through social media and messaging apps, usually for abuse and fraud.