Northern Ireland jails man who abused up to 3,500 girls online and drove one to suicide

A “relentless and cruel” online predator who blackmailed girls around the world was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison on Friday after being convicted of the manslaughter of a victim who took her own life.

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Alexander McCartney, from Newry in Northern Ireland, pretended to be a teenage girl and carried out catfishing attacks on 3,500 female victims he contacted on platforms including Snapchat.

Catfishing is using a fake online identity to deceive victims. Authorities said McCartney encouraged his victims to send intimate photos or engage in sex acts, then extorted them by threatening to share the images.

A 12-year-old in West Virginia killed herself in May 2018 during an online chat with McCartney as he demanded sex acts. The victim’s father died by suicide 18 months later.

Prosecutors said they believe this is the first time someone has been convicted of manslaughter in a case where victim and perpetrator never met.

06:18

‘It’s scary’: Asian cryptocurrency scams bilk tens of thousands of ‘brainwashed’ victims

‘It’s scary’: Asian cryptocurrency scams bilk tens of thousands of ‘brainwashed’ victims

“Working closely with police, the prosecution team was able to establish to the criminal standard that McCartney’s actions had caused the girl’s death and he had a case to answer for manslaughter,” said Catherine Kieran, acting Head of the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service Serious Crime Unit.