A man in Northern Ireland has been sentenced to life for several crimes, including manslaughter, after using social media sites to blackmail and sexually abuse at least 70 minors in several countries.
Alexander McCartney, 26, was sentenced by a judge at Belfast Crown Court on Friday for child sexual offenses, blackmail, and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl who took her own life in the United States in 2018 after being “catfished.”
“Catfishing” is a deceptive practice often used on social media where a person creates a fake identity to trick, harass, or scam others. McCartney pretended to be a young girl, befriended victims on social media, and manipulated them into sending him nude images of themselves.
The victims, as young as 10 years old, were coerced into sending indecent images and videos, and engaging in depraved and dangerous sexual acts under threats from McCartney. He targeted around 3,500 girls from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Great Britain, the US, and New Zealand.
McCartney pleaded guilty to 185 charges involving 70 victims and must serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before being eligible for parole. One of his victims, a 12-year-old girl from the US, tragically took her own life during an online chat where McCartney was threatening her and coercing her into sexual activity.
McCartney never met the victims in person and mainly used Snapchat to target them. Snapchat condemned the exploitation, stating that they remove such content, lock violating accounts, and report them to authorities. The app also has extra protections for teens to prevent contact with strangers.
The Public Prosecution Service is actively working to identify more of McCartney’s victims to provide them with support and justice.
