Justice Minister Urges Victims of Alexander McCartney to Come Forward

Naomi Long emphasizes the importance of identifying victims as McCartney receives life sentence for extensive online child abuse.

Alexander McCartney, 26, was sentenced to life in prison for the online sexual abuse of children and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl, with a minimum of 20 years before parole eligibility.
McCartney admitted to 185 charges, including over 50 blackmail offenses, affecting around 70 identified victims, though he may have abused as many as 3,500 children globally.
Justice Minister Naomi Long expressed concern that many victims might never be identified and urged those affected to report their abuse to local authorities.
McCartney used fake online personas on platforms like Snapchat to coerce victims into sending explicit images, which he then used to blackmail them for more content.
The case highlighted the devastating impact of McCartney's actions, including the suicide of 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas, who was one of his victims.