Northern Ireland is jailing a man who molested up to 3,500 girls online and drove one to suicide

A “ruthless 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 manslaughter in the death of a victim who took his own life.

Prosecutors allege Alexander McCartney, 26, from Newry, Northern Ireland, posed as a teenager and carried out catfishing attacks on 3,500 women he contacted on platforms including Snapchat.

Catfishing involves using a false online identity to defraud victims. Authorities said McCartney encouraged his victims to send intimate photos or engage in sexual activity, then coerced them by threatening to share the photos.

A 12-year-old girl from West Virginia committed suicide in May 2018 during an online chat with McCartney when he demanded sexual acts. The victim’s father committed suicide 18 months later.

Prosecutors said they believed this was the first time someone had been convicted of murder in a case in which the victim and perpetrator had never met.

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“Working closely with the police, the prosecution team managed to establish under criminal standards that McCartney’s actions caused the girl’s death and he was charged with manslaughter,” said Catherine Kieran, acting head of the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service. Crime unit.