A Newry man whose Snapchat threats caused the death of a 12-year-old girl has been jailed – The Irish Times

A Northern Ireland man whose internet crime sparked an international investigation into catfishing involving 70 young victims and causing the death of a girl in the United States is to be sentenced.

Alexander McCartney (26), from Lissummon Road, Newry, pleaded guilty to 185 charges relating to 70 children, although the court was told the actual number of victims was much higher.

McCartney posed as a young girl to befriend other girls on Snapchat, then blackmailed them, and the victims were identified around the world. Catfishing is a term used when someone sets up a false identity online and uses it to deceive and control others.

Instead of complying with McCartney’s demands, twelve-year-old Cimarron Thomas from West Virginia, United States, took her own life in May 2018. Eighteen months later, her father also committed suicide.

McCartney pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with Cimarron’s death.

He also pleaded guilty to 59 counts of blackmail, dozens of counts of creating and distributing indecent photos, and dozens of counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

Judge O’Hara sentenced McCartney on Friday at Belfast Crown Court.

McCartney’s offenses span from 2014 to 2019, with victims identified around the world, including in Australia, New Zealand and the US.

He used his technical knowledge acquired as a computer science student to commit the crimes in the bedroom of his family home.

McCartney, who has been in custody at Maghaberry Prison since 2019, posed on the social media platform Snapchat as a teenager and befriended vulnerable girls aged 10 to 16 who were gay or exploring their sexuality.

Once he obtained photos of his victims, he would reveal the “catfish” and blackmail them into engaging in sexual acts.

McCartney was arrested several times between 2016 and 2019, but despite his bail conditions, he continued to commit crimes until he was remanded in custody.

Last week, at a pre-sentence hearing, a prosecutor’s attorney said McCartney had degraded and humiliated his victims, saying the harm done to them was “immeasurable.” – PA

Alexander McCartney: The catfisher will be sentenced

Alexander McCartney, from Newry, Co. Armagh, will be sentenced in Belfast this week for one of the “worst catfishing cases” ever to come to court. Earlier this year, McCartney pleaded guilty to more than 50 counts of blackmail and multiple offenses of possessing indecent images of children. The former student also pleaded guilty to the murder of a 12-year-old child whom he blackmailed online but never met. In this March 2024 episode, Bernice Harrison talks to Time Northern Irish correspondent Seanín Graham about the allegations against McCartney and how a global catfishing investigation led police to his home in rural Armagh.