On one occasion, a 12-year-old girl was groomed, sexually abused, and blackmailed in under nine minutes by a Co Armagh catfish child predator who was the first person in the UK to be sentenced for manslaughter of victim in a foreign jurisdiction.
Alexander McCartney, 26, of Lissummon Road, outside of Newry, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum tariff of 20 years October 25, at Belfast Crown Court. Detectives describe him as a “disgusting child predator” who committed 185 charges of child sexual abuse crimes and blackmail, as well as one manslaughter charge. All of the offenses were committed online from his childhood bedroom.
Police Scotland reported to the PSNI in March 2019 that a 13-year-old girl had been groomed by an adult suspect who was thought to be living in Northern Ireland under the guise of a 13-year-old girl.
Detectives from the Police Service’s Public Protection Branch located McCartney’s home address after conducting urgent investigative inquiries to determine his residence. They then detained and spoke with him.Tens of thousands of images and videos of young girls engaging in sexual actions while being blackmailed were discovered when 64 of McCartney’s devices were confiscated. In order to trick and control them, McCartney created and utilized numerous phony accounts on different websites.
After conducting preliminary police interviews and reviewing the information on his devices, it was discovered that McCartney had committed crimes not just in the UK but also abroad. Collaborating with partners from the National Crime Agency, the Public Prosecution Service, and Homeland Security, the victims were spread throughout at least 28 nations, including America and New Zealand.
To trick victims into thinking they were chatting online with an individual their own age, he consistently employed the same pattern of behavior. Frequently, he would pose as former abused girls and utilize their unlawfully obtained photos to deceive other people.]
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After that, he would urge them to email pornographic pictures of themselves or have sex online, threatening to post these pictures online for other pedophiles’ amusement, then using them to exploit and abuse the already frightened and victimized youngsters even more.On one terrifying occasion, McCartney groomed, sexually abused, and blackmailed a 12-year-old girl in just nine minutes. Only the evidence Detectives found on McCartney’s devices and the officers’ vigilance and resolve allowed them to identify the abuse, as many of these youngsters were too scared to tell their parents and guardians about it.
Alexander McCartney committed some horrific and disturbing crimes and deserves every minute he serves in prison, said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.”
His wretched conduct tragically led to a child in West Virginia taking her own life. We are thankful that our law enforcement partners in Northern Ireland saw fit to apprehend and charge McCartney for his role in the girls death.”
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Their investigation and prosecution of this case were nothing short of brilliant. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, at home and abroad, to ensure that detestable criminal actors like McCartney answer for their transgressions.
