An online predator whose abuse led an American girl and her father to take their own lives has been jailed for at least 20 years after the UK’s largest ‘catfishing’ case.
Warning: This article contains references to suicide and child sex abuse which readers may find distressing.
Alexander McCartney, 26, previously admitted 185 charges, including the manslaughter of a girl who took her own life.
Belfast Crown Court heard his victims were aged between 10 and 16 and located in the UK, USA, continental Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
McCartney, from south Armagh in Northern Ireland, posed as someone else online (known as ‘catfishing’) – in his case, he pretended to be a young girl – to persuade his victims to send him images. He then blackmailed his victims into sending him more graphic material.
McCartney abused children online from a range of countries
Cimarron Thomas, 12, from the US state of West Virginia, shot herself with her father’s handgun, instead of complying with his demands. But there were even further tragic repercussions for her family.
Unable to live with the loss of his daughter, her father Ben Thomas, a former US Army veteran, died by suicide 18 months later.
McCartney, a former computer science student, pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter, 59 of blackmail, and 70 of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
At his sentencing, the judge said McCartney had started offending at the age of 14.
McCartney ‘utterly remorseless’
McCartney also admitted dozens of charges related to the making and distribution of indecent images of children, and appeared “utterly remorseless”, according to prosecuting barrister, David McDowell KC.
At an earlier hearing, the prosecution described how McCartney had deliberately targeted victims who were either gay or exploring their sexuality and had “degraded and humiliated them”. The judge called the details in the case “excruciating”.
Much of what he did is too graphic and disturbing to detail.
McCartney told one girl he would send people to her home to rape her if she didn’t comply. In some instances, he demanded his victims involve younger siblings.
Posed as ‘Sarah’ to catfish victim
Posing as ‘Sarah’, he messaged Cimarron Thomas at her family’s farmhouse in the tiny US village of Bruceton and persuaded her to send him a topless photograph.
When McCartney revealed he wasn’t ‘Sarah’, he demanded more explicit pictures and threatened to send them to her father.
When she pleaded for him to stop, he told her to “dry her eyes” and involve her nine-year-old sister in the sexually explicit photographs.
The court heard he had “counted down” online from 20 to zero – insisting on more pictures. Cimarron refused and shot herself.
McCartney’s cynical last message read: “Goodbye and good luck.”
Cimarron Thomas. Pic: PSNI
Father could not forgive himself
Her younger sister heard what she thought was a balloon popping but found Cimarron lying on her parents’ bedroom floor.
Cimarron’s father Ben could not forgive himself for leaving his handgun within reach and took his own life 18 months later.
Cimarron Thomas and her father Ben Thomas
Cimarron’s family could not understand why she had ended her life until police found the online chat on McCartney’s computer.
The court previously heard an impact statement from Cimarron Thomas’ grandparents, which said: “Our lives will never be the same. We didn’t get to see her graduate, walk down the aisle or have children.
“We have been robbed of those memories. Our lives have changed forever.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.