A man who abused up to 3,500 girls online has been sentenced for crimes including manslaughter

A "relentless and cruel" online predator who blackmailed girls astir the satellite was sentenced to astatine slightest 20 years successful situation connected Friday aft being convicted of the manslaughter of a unfortunate who took her ain life.

Prosecutors accidental 26-year-old Alexander McCartney, from Newry successful Northern Ireland, pretended to beryllium a teenage miss and carried retired catfishing attacks connected 3,500 pistillate victims helium contacted connected platforms including Snapchat.

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Catfishing is utilizing a fake online individuality to deceive victims. Authorities said McCartney encouraged his victims to nonstop intimate photos oregon prosecute successful enactment acts, past extorted them by threatening to stock the images.

A 12-year-old successful West Virginia killed herself successful May 2018 during an online chat with McCartney arsenic helium demanded enactment acts. The victim’s begetter died by termination 18 months later.

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan, Police Service of Northern Ireland and Catherine Kierans, NI Public Prosecution Service, talk to the media extracurricular Belfast Crown Court aft prolific online predator Alexander McCartney was jailed for a minimum of 20 years aft admitting 185 charges involving 70 children, connected Friday.  (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Prosecutors said they judge this is the archetypal clip idiosyncratic has been convicted of manslaughter successful a lawsuit wherever unfortunate and perpetrator ne'er met.

"Working intimately with police, the prosecution squad was capable to found to the transgression modular that McCartney’s actions had caused the girl’s death, and helium had a lawsuit to reply for manslaughter," said Catherine Kieran, acting Head of the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service Serious Crime Unit.

Police person identified victims successful 30 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

McCartney, who carried retired his crimes from the chamber of his puerility home, pleaded blameworthy to 185 charges involving 70 children, including the manslaughter charge. At Belfast Crown Court, justice John O’Hara sentenced him to beingness with nary accidental of parole for 20 years.

"To my cognition determination has not been a lawsuit specified arsenic the contiguous wherever a suspect has utilized societal media connected an concern standard to inflict specified unspeakable and catastrophic damage," the justice said.

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Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan of the Police Service of Northern Ireland said extracurricular tribunal that McCartney was a "relentless and cruel" pedophile.

"We cannot underestimate the devastation that helium has caused and the childhoods helium has stolen," the serviceman said. "There was thing that was going to halt him, isolated from putting him successful jail."