Alexander McCartney, 26, from County Armagh, who was at the centre of one of the world’s largest catfishing cases, is sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years
Mr Justice O’Hara describes McCartney’s crimes as ones of “sadism and depravity” which “scarred” the childhoods of his victims
McCartney pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year after a 12-year-old girl took her own life rather than comply with his demands. Police believe he targeted around 3,500 children across 30 countries
Catfishing is when someone uses a fake identity online to target another person, usually for abuse or fraud
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A Snapchat icon on a smart phone screen.
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
McCartney mainly used the social media platform Snapchat to exploit victims
Pretending to be a girl and operating mainly on Snapchat, McCartney found and befriended girls who were said to be struggling with sexuality all over the world.
He used flattery to get a compromising photograph and then used it to blackmail and threaten the children into committing appalling acts or he would publish the images online.
McCartney told one girl that he would get people to come to her house to rape her if she didn’t comply.
According to Catherine Kierans, acting head of the Public Prosecution Service’s serious crime unit, McCartney’s offending was relentless.
“You had little girls, an average age of 10-12 years old being threatened in the most depraved way,” she told BBC News NI.
“It was around the clock, it was difficult to know when he was doing anything else.”
The victims spanned 30 countries; the abuse included involving other people, family pets and objects.
In one incident, it took McCartney just nine minutes to blackmail a child.
