A 26-year-old man from County Armagh has been given a life sentence for online sexual abuse of children and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl.
Alexander McCartney had admitted 185 charges and pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Cimarron Thomas, 12, from the United States, who took her own life in 2018 while he was abusing her. Thomas lived in West Virginia.
McCartney created false personas and targeted as many as 3,500 victims online, aged between ten and 16, from over 30 countries.
One of the world’s most prolific online child abusers, he will not be considered for release until 2039.
Speaking about the case, Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister, Naomi Long, said it was a “devastating case."
“McCartney committed his vile crimes behind a cloak of online anonymity, but through a comprehensive and robust operation across the criminal justice system he has been exposed as the vile and prolific child sexual predator that he truly is,” she said.
“Such partnership working, including across jurisdictions, has been key to a case that again highlights the need for further strengthening of legislation around online spaces to protect children from serious harm and identify other online abusers.
“There is a comprehensive and robust framework of law on sexual offences in place in Northern Ireland which includes a range of offences aimed at protecting children. While telecommunications is a reserved matter, we are engaging fully with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Ofcom on the implementation and regulation of the Online Safety Act 2023 to make the online world safer for children and ensure tech firms take more responsibility to manage their platform's content and protect children from illegal harm.
“I hope that today's sentencing will also serve as a deterrent and a reminder to other predators that online abuse is not beyond the reach of the law.”
Ms. Long added: “However, above all else, today my thoughts are with the family and friends of Cimarron Thomas.
"She, and McCartney's other victims, deserved never to be exposed to his depravity, cruelty and abuse. Nothing can heal the wounds he has inflicted on his victims and their families, but I hope that seeing him held to account for his actions brings some small comfort to them."
