Stormont’s justice minister regrets that McCartney’s victims have not been identified

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long has expressed concern that not all of Alexander McCartney’s victims can be identified.

An online predator who took one of his victims to the United States to take his own life was sentenced by a Belfast court on Friday to at least 20 years in prison.

McCartney, 26, who pleaded guilty to 185 charges involving 70 children, posed as a teenager to befriend and then blackmail young women on Snapchat, luring victims from around the world.

He is believed to be one of the world’s most popular internet criminals.

Although he was imprisoned on charges involving 70 victims, the number of children he molested is believed to be around 3,500.

Ms Long urged anyone who has been a victim of violence by McCartney or anyone else to come forward.

“The sad thing about all this is that some of these victims may never be identified, and I think that’s really disturbing both for (police) officers and for all of us, but at least the perpetrator of the violence has been identified and he will spend a significant amount of time in prison for what he has done,” she told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster program.

“During the course of the investigation, quite an exhaustive investigation was carried out to try and establish who these children were, and in the case of some it was possible all over the world. In the case of others, it has not been possible to trace them and I do not think it will be easy, although there may be some who will come forward after reading about the judgment in this case.

“I would certainly encourage anyone who has been the victim of such violence by McCartney or others to contact their local police and let them know what is happening. Many of these children were terrified of what would happen to them if they told what they had done because they felt guilty for their behavior.

“No one should be afraid to be in this situation. They are a victim and if someone is being blackmailed in this way, I really encourage them to get help, talk to someone, you will be treated like a victim, not a criminal, and you will get the support you need.”

Ms Long also paid tribute to the police officers who investigated and the prosecutor’s office.

“Officers spent hours watching footage that no human should ever see to ensure this case went to trial,” she said.

“It was a complicated case, testing new parts of the law in terms of online behavior, but I think it’s to their credit that it happened.”