Briton convicted in ‘catfishing’ case behind US girl’s death

A Northern Ireland man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty by a British court in what was described as the world’s worst crime. “fishing with catfish” case in the country. Alex McCartney, 26, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of manslaughter in a court in Northern Ireland after a young American woman who was among the thousands of alleged victims he- he blackmailed himself online.

McCartney admitted in court a total of 185 charges involving 70 child victims – including blackmailinciting a child to engage in sexual activity and producing and distributing indecent images of children. He was also found guilty of the death of 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas in West Virginia, according to the Press Association of Great Britain news agency.

Thomas, who lived in West Virginia with her mother, father and siblings, killed herself in May 2018. During her online interactions with McCartney, authorities say he tried to coerce her into sending graphic images of a younger brother.

McCartney was already under investigation at the time and was about to face charges from British investigators when authorities discovered Cimarron’s identity and the circumstances of her death, CBS News affiliate BBC News reported Friday.

Thomas’ father, a US Army veteran, committed suicide 18 months after his daughter, not knowing any of the circumstances behind Cimarron’s death.

Jim Gamble, a former senior British police officer specializing in child safety, told BBC News it was a “shocking case”.

“The extent and horrific nature of the harm done to these girls makes it one of the worst we’ve ever seen,” Gamble said, adding, “Don’t look at this and think this is a rare occurrence.”

Detective Chief Constable Eamonn Corrigan of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Criminal Investigation Department issued a statement on Friday, calling McCartney “nothing but a disgusting child predator who posed as young girls online to groom, manipulate and sexually abused the victims at the age of four. , to satisfy their own sexual perversions and those of other online child sex offenders.”

McCartney’s crimes took place between 2014 and 2019, when police believe he targeted around 3,500 victims, mostly via Snapchat, around the world, including Australia, New Zealand and the US, according to the Press Association. The case against him at Belfast Crown Court focused on 70 child victims, including Thomas.

There was no immediate response to Friday’s verdict against McCartney from Snapchat. The social messaging app was charged in September of having characteristics that make it a favorite platform of sex offenders who target children, in a process filed by New Mexico against parent company Snap Inc.

An undercover state investigation found Snapchat created “an environment where predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a news release. release.

In a statement responding to the New Mexico case, Snape said The app was designed “as a place to communicate with a close circle of friends, with built-in safety railings,” and said there were “deliberate design choices to make it harder for outsiders to discover minors on our service.”

“We continue to evolve our safety mechanisms and policies, from using advanced technology to detect and block certain activities, to banning suspicious accounts from friending, to working with law enforcement and government agencies, among many others,” the company said , adding that it continued to work with “industry, government and law enforcement to share information and create stronger defenses.”

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