In a chilling case of online child exploitation, 26-year-old Alexander McCartney from Northern Ireland has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison after being found guilty of posing as a teenage girl to groom and blackmail victims. McCartney's actions have drawn global attention, as he was linked to the tragic death of a 12-year-old girl in the United States.
Over the years, McCartney amassed a staggering 3,500 victims across various countries by luring them into a false sense of trust. Acting as a teenage girl, he persuaded these young girls to share explicit photos and engage in webcam sexual activities. When victims refused or reported him, he blackmailed them, often threatening to circulate sensitive material online.
The prosecution described the case as one of the most disturbing instances of child sexual abuse they had ever encountered, highlighting McCartney's manipulative tactics that began as early as his late teens in his childhood home in Newry. Authorities reported that he faced a total of 185 charges related to child sexual abuse and blackmail.
Over the years, McCartney amassed a staggering 3,500 victims across various countries by luring them into a false sense of trust. Acting as a teenage girl, he persuaded these young girls to share explicit photos and engage in webcam sexual activities. When victims refused or reported him, he blackmailed them, often threatening to circulate sensitive material online.
The prosecution described the case as one of the most disturbing instances of child sexual abuse they had ever encountered, highlighting McCartney's manipulative tactics that began as early as his late teens in his childhood home in Newry. Authorities reported that he faced a total of 185 charges related to child sexual abuse and blackmail.
