Catfishing: Alexander McCartney jailed for minimum of 20 years

Warning: Distressing details of extreme child abuse and strong language are mentioned in the section below.

Alexander McCartney's litany of crimes between 2013 and 2019 has been described as "the UK's largest catfishing case".

Catfishing involves the use of a false identity online to befriend and exploit victims.

The 'catfish' is the person who has created the fake persona.

They target people through social media and messaging apps, usually for abuse and fraud.

From behind a computer screen at his home in Northern Ireland, McCartney brought fear and devastation to the lives of thousands of children across the world.

He approached the vast majority of his victims on Snapchat, although on a small number of occasions he used other social media sites including Instagram and Kik.

On his 64 devices, he pretended to be a young girl to lure his victims into sending intimate photos.

Sometimes he used pictures he had obtained from other young girls and pretended to be them when speaking to new victims.

Once he had the photos he would blackmail them for more extreme photographs.

If they did not send them he said he would expose them to their friends and family.

He forced the children to involve their younger siblings in the abuse, which also included family pets and objects.