How police snared the catfish killer

It was a cellphone name from a 13-year-old lady in Scotland in 2019 that ultimately led to the seize of a social media predator described as one of many world’s most prolific little one intercourse abusers.

Alexander McCartney from Northern Eire pretended to be a teenage lady to befriend, then abuse and blackmail youngsters world wide, usually sharing pictures with different paedophiles.

A few of the youngsters had been as younger as 4. Some had by no means advised anybody what they’d been via – till police knocked on their door.

McCartney progressively admitted 185 expenses together with manslaughter after a 12-year-old girl he was abusing took her own life.

He has been jailed for no less than 20 years.

Following contact from police in Scotland, an pressing investigation by the Police Service of Northern Eire (PSNI) swung into operation in March 2019.

Detectives recognized the house tackle of Alexander McCartney, arrested and interviewed him.

Sixty-four of McCartney’s gadgets had been seized at his house within the rural Lissummon Highway space exterior Newry in 4 separate raids.

These gadgets held lots of of 1000’s of indecent photographs and movies of underage women performing sexual acts whereas being blackmailed.

McCartney made and used many pretend accounts on on-line platforms, primarily Snapchat, to entrap and manipulate them.

PSNI Det Ch Supt Eamonn Corrigan stated McCartney had been “offending on an industrial scale”.

He groomed victims into considering they had been speaking on-line to a woman of an identical age, earlier than encouraging them to ship indecent pictures or interact in sexual exercise through webcam or a cell phone.

McCartney used the identical sample each time, the detective stated, including: “He threatened to share these pictures on-line for the pleasure of different paedophiles and use them to additional abuse and harass the already terrified and exploited youngsters.”

In a single incident, it took McCartney simply 9 minutes to groom, sexually abuse and blackmail a woman of solely 12 years of age.

As time went on, it turned clear that McCartney’s depravity spanned not simply throughout the UK, however internationally. The abuse included involving different individuals, household pets and objects.

The PSNI labored with colleagues in the US Division of Homeland Safety, the Public Prosecution Service and Nationwide Crime Company, and victims had been positioned in America, New Zealand and a minimum of 28 different nations.

Many of those youngsters had been solely recognized via the proof detectives positioned on McCartney’s gadgets.

Based on the police, he “constructed a paedophile enterprise” and had “stolen childhoods” of his victims.

Within the spring of 2019, police known as Catherine Kierans, performing head of the Public Prosecution Service’s severe crime unit.

They stated one thing “huge was unfolding… it concerned catfishing”.

Catfishing is the place an individual creates a false id to realize the belief of individuals and exploit them.

Ms Kierans stated little women “a mean age of 10-12 years outdated [were] being threatened in probably the most wicked method.”

She stated a few of the youngsters who had been exploited had beforehand opened up about their abuse, others had remained silent.

“A few of the youngsters had raised the alarm, which helped police to truly establish him within the first place.

“However a few of the youngsters, till police knocked the door, they’d by no means advised anybody what they’d been via.”

Based on Ms Kierans, McCartney offended “across the clock”.

Because the investigation unfold throughout the globe, Ms Kierans stated prosecutors realised McCartney had been “very assiduous about saving the pictures”.

“He would additionally save the map on Snapchat of the place the kid was in some circumstances, and that then enabled police to find the kids.”

His arraignment in 2021 was delayed as police found the suicide of just a little lady in West Virginia, USA.

“From the start, the extent of abuse was so horrific that we had been fearful that when these youngsters had been recognized, would they be okay?” Ms Kierans stated.

“Sadly, our worst fears had been realised once we found, a way in, that one of many little women had taken her personal life.

“Working intently with the American authorities, we had been capable of show that this little one took her personal life throughout the abuse, when she was nonetheless on-line with McCartney.

“At that time, the loss of life of the kid was so intrinsically linked to the abuse that we felt we had a powerful case to say that he killed her.”

That little lady was 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas who, in 2018, shot herself whereas McCartney was abusing her.

McCartney was charged together with her manslaughter.

Ms Kierans stated it’s believed to be the primary time an abuser anyplace on the planet has been held accountable for manslaughter the place the sufferer and perpetrator have by no means met in individual.

Such was the magnitude of the case that prosecutors needed to be considered with the costs.

“We could not put 3,000 expenses on the indictment,” Ms Kierans stated.

“In the long run, there have been about 200 expenses [relating to around 70 victims] which might be one of many largest indictments that we have seen in Northern Eire.”

McCartney grew up 5 miles exterior of Newry and simply off the primary highway to Armagh metropolis.

It’s about as rural because it will get. Farms, a church and some companies.

When he first appeared at Newry Magistrates’ Courtroom in July 2019 he was simply 21, with lengthy, fuzzy hair and the wide-eyed look of somebody shocked to be sitting the place he was.

He has spent greater than 5 years on remand at Maghaberry Jail – leaving just for court docket appearances and additional questioning by the police.

In these hearings, he stated little aside from to verify his title and date of delivery and to progressively enter softly-spoken responsible pleas.

McCartney attended Newry Excessive Faculty and was into gaming.

One supply advised BBC Information NI: “He was introverted and socially awkward. He didn’t work together with individuals a lot exterior of his group of pals.

“He was perhaps on the edges of issues, however he had pals who clearly knew nothing about this.”

He then took a course on the Southern Regional Faculty in Newry the place he was described as “quiet and did not actually get entangled with the remainder of the category”.

When he was ultimately charged in 2019 he was a pc science pupil at Ulster College.

For these dwelling in and round his house, the case has been harrowing.

“The entire place was surprised,” one resident stated.

“It was whispers in the beginning, then disbelief. I’m positive individuals discuss it in their very own houses nevertheless it doesn’t get mentioned publicly as individuals don’t know what to say.”

One other stated: “He got here throughout as a pleasing, affable, clever younger man.

“There’s nothing extraordinary about him.”

However what’s extraordinary is the enormity of his offending; a lot of his victims had pleaded for the abuse to cease however prosecutors stated he “callously continued, at instances forcing the victims to contain youthful youngsters, some aged simply 4”.

Based on Catherine Kierans, McCartney’s depravity was such that it was “one of the crucial distressing and prolific circumstances of kid sexual abuse now we have ever seen within the PPS”.

Ms Kierans stated a few of the victims have nonetheless by no means been recognized regardless of exhaustive efforts by police.

“McCartney’s crimes have harmed 1000’s of youngsters and left them and their households coping with the traumatic aftermath,” she stated.

“Their braveness stands in stark distinction to his cowardice in concentrating on susceptible younger women.”

Additional data and help for these affected by this story can go to the BBC Action Line.