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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Sophie McLaughlin

New series to explore the case of NI student who became 'UK’s most prolific catfish'

A new three-part documentary series will look at how a Northern Irish student came to know as the 'UK's most prolific catfish'.

The term catfishing means when a person takes information and images from other people and uses them to create a new identity in order to trick or deceive someone else.

'Bait' will be told from multiple perspectives and uncovers the criminal investigation that brought the culprit to justice, revealing the catastrophic impact on victims and their families as well as those who knew him best.

Read more: Detective drama starring Adrian Dunbar to return for new series

A description of Bait reads: "In 2018, the Police Service of Northern Ireland were first made aware of the case when Scottish police alerted them to a ‘catfish' incident involving inappropriate images of a young girl.

"Detectives began an investigation into the young criminal’s use of fake profiles to befriend hundreds of victims that ended up stretching across the world as far as America and New Zealand.

"This series documents the international criminal investigation and brings to light the shocking scale of his global campaign."

Bait is produced by Belfast-based production company DoubleBand Films and is a co-commission for BBC Three and BBC Northern Ireland.

It is being made with support from Northern Ireland Screen.

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