Abuser at centre of 'world's largest' catfish case jailed after driving girl, 12, to suicide

A catfish predator who drove a girl into taking her own life will spend at least 20 years behind bars. Serial online abuser Alexander McCartney admitted 185 charges involving 70 children, in what was one of the world's biggest catfishing cases.

The 26-year-old posed as a teenage girl to befriend young females on Snapchat before blackmailing them - all from the bedroom of his childhood home. McCartney is believed to be the UK’s most prolific catfish offender.

Victims were identified from across the world - including Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Twelve-year-old Cimarron Thomas, from West Virginia in the US, took her own life in May 2018 rather than comply with McCartney’s demands for her to involve her younger sister in sex acts.

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Eighteen months later, her heartbroken father Ben Thomas also died by suicide. McCartney previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter relating to Cimarron’s death.

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. A court heard how McCartney, originally from Lissummon Road outside Newry, Northern Ireland, used his technical knowledge as a computer science student to carry out his crimes.

He was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years by Mr Justice O’Hara at Belfast Crown Court on Friday (October 25). He said: “The prosecution has described the harm caused by the defendant as unquantifiable.

“I accept that description, subject to the proviso that the harm is inevitably and indisputably huge. There were young girls, with younger siblings, all over the world, whose childhoods have been scarred by this defendant. In many cases that fact may not be known to their adult carers.”

McCartney sat with his head bowed in the dock during most of the sentencing hearing at Belfast Crown Court. He stood up as Mr Justice O’Hara handed down a life sentence, looked briefly at the judge and then down towards the floor.