Detectives missed TWO chances to stop Britain's 'most prolific catfisher' Alexander McCartney who preyed on 3,500 girls across 30 different countries

Detectives missed cardinal chances to halt Britain's worst catfisher portion helium preyed connected 3,500 girls.

Alexander McCartney, 26, was jailed for beingness yesterday with a minimum of 20 years down bars. He claimed victims successful 30 countries during a run that spanned astatine slightest 5 years.

By 'catfishing' - utilizing a fake individuality to deceive radical online - arsenic a young miss connected the social-media app Snapchat, McCartney groomed, blackmail and maltreatment youngsters astir the world.

One of his US victims, Cimarron Thomas, 12, changeable herself successful the caput with her father's handgun alternatively than taxable to his sadistic demands.

Her begetter Ben, a US Army veteran, took his ain beingness aft being consumed with guilt for leaving his weapon wherever she could entree it astatine their location successful West Virginia.

McCartney, from County Armagh, Northern Ireland, pleaded blameworthy to Cimarron's manslaughter and 184 different offences, relating to 70 illustration cases, of blackmail and inciting a kid to prosecute successful intersexual activity.

Following his sentencing astatine Belfast Crown Court yesterday, the Mail tin uncover determination were 2 missed chances to halt him, astatine slightest 1 of which could person saved Cimarron.

He was doubly investigated connected suspicion of amassing indecent images, successful 2016 and 2018, but neither probe resulted successful transgression charges.

His behaviour lone came to an extremity aft a 13-year-old miss successful Scotland revealed that she was a victim, and the UK's biggest catfishing probe was launched successful 2019. The missed opportunities to prevention perchance hundreds of girls are being investigated by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman.

Jailing McCartney, Mr Justice O'Hara said helium was liable for the 'deviant and sadistic' targeting of susceptible victims connected an 'industrial scale', adding: 'I find it hard to deliberation of a intersexual deviant who poses much hazard than this defendant.'

He described the erstwhile University of Ulster machine subject pupil arsenic being 'devoid of mean quality empathy' and revelling successful his quality to degrade his young victims.

Most of McCartney's victims, who lived successful countries including Britain, Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand, were aged 10 to 16 but immoderate were arsenic young arsenic four.

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said: 'McCartney is thing but a disgusting kid predator who was posing arsenic young girls online to groom, manipulate and sexually maltreatment his victims, arsenic young arsenic four, to fulfill his ain intersexual perversions and that of different kid intersexual offenders.'

McCartney contacted Cimarron successful May 2018. After receiving intimate photos, helium tried to blackmail her into carrying retired his deviant demands. 

Even though she pleased tearfully with him to stop, McCartney threatened to nonstop the photos to her begetter and friends.

When she refused his demands and said she would sprout herself, helium cruelly began a countdown and told her: 'Goodbye and bully luck.'

She was recovered dying by her nine-year-old sister.

The household had nary thought wherefore Cimarron had committed termination - the crushed lone came to airy successful 2021 erstwhile constabulary successful Northern Ireland recovered a transcript of the speech betwixt Cimarron and McCartney, which helium had kept arsenic a 'trophy' connected his computer.

Cimarron's household said McCartney 'might arsenic good person pulled the trigger' and were outraged that helium was not charged with murder.

Prosecutor David McDowell described however McCartney 'degraded and humiliated' his victims and showed nary mercy erstwhile they pleaded with him to stop. McCartney, who refused to perceive and sat successful the dock with his hands covering his ears, told 1 miss that helium would get radical to travel to her location to rape her if she didn't comply.

When different said her parent was dying of crab helium said, 'I don't care', and continued with his relentless abuse. Raised successful a quiescent farming assemblage little than 10 miles from the Irish border, McCartney lived with his father, a timber gait manager, parent and 3 siblings successful a five-bedroom bungalow adjacent Newry. From a young age, helium showed an aptitude for computers, and went connected to survey machine subject astatine university.

When the nett closed in, constabulary raided his location portion helium was successful his bedroom, 'literally successful the mediate of offending, with Snapchat open', sources told the Mail. More than 60 integer devices were seized and examined forensically.

What they contained - graphic images, positive records of chats with terrified girls which McCartney had saved, seemingly arsenic trophies – shocked adjacent hardened detectives.

Investigators successful the US praised Snapchat's co-operation aft the steadfast provided 'everything they could' for the investigation.

One antheral who knows McCartney's household told the Mail they were 'very well-liked', adding: 'This indispensable beryllium hellhole for them.

'It's beyond disgusting what helium did.'