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 extremity Britain's worst catfisher while he preyed connected 3,500 girls.

Alexander McCartney, 26, was jailed for life yesterday pinch 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 clone personality to deceive group online - arsenic a young woman connected nan social-media app Snapchat, McCartney groomed, blackmail and maltreatment youngsters astir nan world.

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

Her begetter Ben, a US Army veteran, took his ain life aft being consumed pinch 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 sample cases, of blackmail and inciting a kid to prosecute successful intersexual activity.

Following his sentencing astatine Belfast Crown Court yesterday, nan Mail tin uncover location were 2 missed chances to extremity 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 criminal charges.

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

Jailing McCartney, Mr Justice O'Hara said he was responsible for nan 'deviant and sadistic' targeting of susceptible victims connected an 'industrial scale', adding: 'I find it difficult to deliberation of a intersexual deviant who poses much consequence than this defendant.'

He described nan erstwhile University of Ulster machine subject student arsenic being 'devoid of normal quality empathy' and revelling successful his expertise 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 nan 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 friendly photos, he tried to blackmail her into carrying retired his deviant demands. 

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

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

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

The family had nary thought why Cimarron had committed termination - the logic only came to ray successful 2021 erstwhile constabulary successful Northern Ireland recovered a transcript of nan speech betwixt Cimarron and McCartney, which he had kept arsenic a 'trophy' connected his computer.

Cimarron's family said McCartney 'might arsenic good person pulled nan trigger' and were outraged that he was not charged pinch murder.

Prosecutor David McDowell described really McCartney 'degraded and humiliated' his victims and showed nary mercy erstwhile they pleaded pinch him to stop. McCartney, who refused to perceive and sat successful nan dock pinch his hands covering his ears, told 1 woman that he would get group to travel to her location to rape her if she didn't comply.

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

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

What they contained - schematic images, positive records of chats pinch terrified girls which McCartney had saved, apparently arsenic trophies – shocked moreover hardened detectives.

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

One man who knows McCartney's family told nan Mail they were 'very well-liked', adding: 'This must beryllium hellhole for them.

'It's beyond disgusting what he did.'