A Co Armagh catfish child predator, first to be sentenced in UK for manslaughter of victim in a foreign jurisdiction, took only nine minutes to groom, sexually abuse and blackmail a girl of only 12 years of age on one occasion.
Today, Friday, October 25, at Belfast Crown Court, 26-year-old Alexander McCartney from Lissummon Road, outside Newry, a man detectives describe as a “disgusting child predator” has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years for 185 charges of child sexual abuse crimes and blackmail, along with one manslaughter charge with all offences carried out online from his childhood bedroom.
In March 2019, the PSNI were contacted by Police Scotland about a report of a 13-year-old girl that had been groomed by an adult suspect believed to be residing in Northern Ireland, using the alias of a 13-year-old girl.
Following urgent investigative enquiries to pinpoint the suspect’s address, Detectives from the Police Service’s Public Protection Branch identified the home address of McCartney, arrested and interviewed him.
Sixty-four of McCartney’s devices were seized uncovering tens of thousands of photos and videos of underage girls performing sexual acts whilst being blackmailed.
Catfish Alexander McCartney: 911 call made after 12-year-old victim takes her own life
Alexander McCartney: Co Armagh catfish handed life sentence with minimum of 20 years
McCartney made and used many fake accounts across various online platforms to entrap and manipulate them.
Following initial interviews with police, and delving into the files located on his devices, it became clear that McCartney’s offending spanned not only right across the United Kingdom, but across the world.
Working with colleagues in Homeland Security, the Public Prosecution Service and National Crime Agency, victims were located in America, New Zealand and at least 28 other countries.
He used the same behaviour pattern every time to groom victims into believing they were talking online with a girl of a similar age. Regularly, taking on the identity of previous girls he had abused, using their illegally obtained images to catfish others.
He would then encourage them to send indecent images of themselves or engage in sexual activity online. Then threatening to share these images online for the pleasure of other pedophiles and use them to further abuse and harass the already terrified and exploited children.
On one harrowing occasion it took McCartney only nine minutes to groom, sexually abuse and blackmail a girl of only 12 years of age.
Many of these children were too afraid to speak to their parents and guardians about the abuse, only identified through the evidence Detectives located on McCartney’s devices and the diligence and determination of the officers.
“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 girl’s death.
“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.”
In May 2018, Cimarron Thomas, a 12 year old girl from West Virginia took her own life. She shot herself with a legally held handgun during online contact with McCartney, the catalyst being that he was attempting to coerce her into involving her younger sibling.
In March 2024 he pled guilty to a charge of manslaughter. This makes him the first person in the UK to be sentenced for manslaughter when the victim resided in a foreign jurisdiction.
Speaking about this tragic incident, her grandparents have released a statement saying: “We all have been devastated by our granddaughter’s passing. We know that nothing that we do or say will bring her back. But if we can help another family to not have to go through what we did, something good could come out of her death. Parents, please keep the doors of communication open concerning the evil of some people online.”
Cimarron pleaded for him to stop and said she would shoot herself, he simply replied “I don’t care”.
He then started a countdown for her to comply with his sick requests or he would carry out his threat to send previously captured images to her contacts. It was during this countdown that the child shot herself.
12-year-old Cimarron Thomas
Tragically, her father took his own life in the aftermath of her death, never knowing the terrible truth of what really happened.
A father of two of McCartney’s victims from New Zealand has also bravely spoken out about the impact this has had on his family.
His two daughters, 12 and 10 were contacted by McCartney online in December 2017, who then coerced his eldest daughter and took intimate images of her, using them then to blackmail.
He says: “As parents you do your best to shield and protect your children from the monsters of the world, only to find out too late the dangers of the internet are all too real and that you weren’t vigilant enough.
“Having both of our daughters involved is gut-wrenching. Within the four walls of our home they should be safe, and he manipulated and preyed on their innocence for his own sick enjoyment.
“My wife and I are so thankful that our eldest daughter spoke up. The impact this ordeal has had on her mental health, her ability to trust, and in forming quality relationships with others cannot be understated. We love that despite all of that she was strong enough to play her part in bringing him to justice.
“We hope the publicity around cases like this helps others come forward, no matter how difficult it is, to flush out these predators and protect both those at risk, and those who have already been abused.
“Our hope is that our children can move on and enjoy the full lives they deserve, and that they aren’t defined by this unimaginable trauma and burden that they will carry with them forever. We will never forgive and we never forget the horrific things this predator has done.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan from the PSNI’s Crime Operations Department said: “My team and I welcome today’s sentencing. Investigating Detectives have been determined to bring McCartney before the courts to answer for his crimes and today we have done just that.
“McCartney is nothing but a disgusting child predator who was posing as young girls online to groom, manipulate and sexually abuse his victims, as young as four, to satisfy his own sexual perversions and that of other online child sexual offenders.
“We have worked tirelessly around the clock on this case, with international criminal justice partners to safeguard victims and build a robust case against this man whose offending has shocked communities around the world.
“Sitting in his childhood bedroom in Newry, he began his offending as a late teenager and built what can only be described as a pedophile enterprise. He had a number of devices and was operating across different time zones.
“He has caused serious and long-lasting harm on what we estimate to be around 3,500 victims and their families. I want to thank those who have come forward today for being so incredibly brave and assisting our investigations.
“As far as I am concerned there is only one place for McCartney and that is behind bars. I am glad his offending has been uncovered and that it has today been taken seriously by our criminal justice system.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Homeland Security Agents and other Police services around the world who worked with us on this complex case. It was a team effort to get to sentencing today.
“It should not be underestimated how difficult this job is, to watch and grade child abuse imagery to bring someone like McCartney to justice and locate and safeguard his victims is no easy feat. All of us working on this case have families at home and we wanted to protect these children as if they were our own.
“His offending is devastating and unfortunately we are seeing more of this type of online predatory behaviour from younger offenders than ever before.
“We are working harder than ever to protect children who are being exploited in any way for the sexual gain of adults. If you are downloading, viewing, making, possessing or distributing indecent images of children, we are actively looking for you. Please take that as a serious threat.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is making an appeal today to all parents/guardians of young people to be vigilant and check in on who they may be talking to online. They have published advice on their website here: https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/online-safety/keeping-children-safe-online
Parents/guardians and wider local communities should report any activity, online or physical towards a child that they find concerning. Similarly if you have concerns or suspicions that an adult you know or live with may be engaging in this type of illegal activity report to Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
