Online killer McCartney 'robbed us of granddaughter'

Cimarron Thomas was 12 years aged successful 2018 erstwhile she utilized her father's handgun to termination herself.

From West Virginia, USA, she played the violin, she loved elephants and chatting with her friends connected Snapchat and was looking guardant to her 13th birthday.

But was being sexually abused and blackmailed online by a pupil from Northern Ireland, described arsenic the UK's astir prolific catfisher.

Alexander McCartney, 26, from extracurricular Newry, County Armagh, has been fixed a beingness condemnation with a minimum of 20 years successful jail for the manslaughter of Cimarron and the utmost intersexual exploitation of different young girls.

In a tragic crook of events, Cimarron’s father, Ben, a US service veteran, took his ain beingness 18 months later. He did not cognize astir his daughters maltreatment oregon wherefore she took her ain life.

Cimarron's grandparents, Peggy and Dale Thomas, elaborate their symptom successful a unfortunate interaction connection work retired successful court.

"Our lives volition ne'er beryllium the aforesaid again," they said.

"We didn’t get to spot her graduate, locomotion down the aisle oregon person children.

"We person been robbed and our lives person been changed forever.”

Cimarron Thomas lived with her mum, dada and siblings.

They were an mean American household but successful 2018 a predator was astir to bring demolition to their lives.

Using a fake persona, McCartney contacted her online, complimented her connected her quality and began grooming her earlier she sent him an intimate photo.

The tribunal heard that during the archetypal abusive enactment helium kept her online for an hr and 45 minutes, demanding intersexual and degrading images.

He told her if she didn't nonstop him much photos he'd people the ones helium already had connected the internet.

Cimarron went backmost to schoolhouse and did not archer anyone astir the abuse.

McCartney continued to prosecute Cimarron and contacted her 4 days aboriginal utilizing different fake relationship saying: “I privation to play 1 much time.”

Despite pleading for McCartney to stop, and being visibly upset, helium told her to "dry your eyes" and impact her younger sister, aged nine, successful a enactment act.

Cimarron refused and said she would alternatively termination herself.

McCartney past enactment up a countdown clock, telling her "goodbye and bully luck".

Three minutes later, Cimarron was recovered by her nine-year-old sister who entered the country aft she thought she heard a balloon pop.

She had changeable herself successful the caput with the family's legally-held firearm.

Cimarron was taken to infirmary wherever she was pronounced dead.

Police person released the 911 telephone of the household calling for help.

On that fateful time successful May 2018, Cimarron's nine-year-old sister recovered her lying connected the level of her parents’ chamber with a weapon by her side.

Her household had nary thought wherefore she had taken her beingness and were unaware of the ordeal she had been subjected to.

Her parent Stephanie told investigators that she mightiness person been unsure of her sexuality. Eighteen months aboriginal Cimarron’s begetter past took his ain life.

However, years aboriginal the information down what had happened to Cimarron emerged.

Cimarron’s grandparents Peggy and Dale person taken portion successful an upcoming BBC documentary astir McCartney wherever they retrieve their granddaughter but talk astir their suffering.

They anticipation that raising consciousness of what they went done volition forestall different families suffering the aforesaid ordeal.

McCartney archetypal appeared successful tribunal successful Northern Ireland successful precocious July 2019.

Police judge helium targeted arsenic galore arsenic 3,500 children connected 64 devices betwixt 2013 and 2019.

The tribunal heard the harm McCartney caused was "unquantifiable" and helium "degraded and humiliated" victims for his ain intersexual gratification.

Many of his kid victims person ne'er been identified, but each their lives person been changed forever.

Then successful April 2021, conscionable earlier McCartney was to beryllium arraigned connected immoderate of the charges relating to the case, investigators discovered what had happened Cimarron.

In what is understood to beryllium a ineligible first, helium was charged with the manslaughter of Cimarron, which helium pleaded blameworthy to.

McCartney yet admitted astir 185 charges involving astir 70 kid victims - aged betwixt 10 and 16.

The Public Prosecution Service successful Northern Ireland brought these guardant arsenic illustration charges successful bid to nutrient an indictment the tribunal could manage.

The tribunal heard of the interaction McCartney’s maltreatment had connected his young victims - immoderate said they person suffered flashbacks, shame, alopecia and spot issues.

Other girls present felt paralyzed erstwhile touched successful immoderate mode by immoderate man; that their childhoods had been stolen and immoderate had suicidal thoughts.

The litany of McCartney's crimes spanned continents.

BBC News NI has spoken to a antheral from New Zealand, we've called him Stephen (not his existent name), astir the abused suffered by his 2 girls, aft McCartney struck up a friendship with his eldest daughter, past 12, connected Snapchat.

The girl, we've called her Rebecca (not her existent name), believed that she was talking to different girl.

That Rebecca believed to beryllium a relationship grew implicit a fewer months. Then McCartney asked Rebecca for a nude photograph, which she sent.

"He past utilized that to manipulate and blackmail her into sending much photos, which ended up including our youngest girl arsenic good arsenic portion of the blackmail," Stephen said.

"And then, successful time, done her interaction database connected Snapchat helium added Rebecca's relative arsenic well, who was older astatine the time, and helium past tried to endanger her with getting much photos.

"Thankfully, she was mature capable and astute capable to scope retired to my wife, and past we went consecutive to the constabulary from there."

He said arsenic soon arsenic the archetypal photograph was sent, McCartney had power, adding that Rebecca was "playing by his rules" adding: "He preyed connected her innocence."

The begetter explained that his youngest daughter, who is 2 years younger, did not cognize what was happening.

"She conscionable thought it was 2 sisters playing formal up and taking silly pictures, truthful she's really wholly oblivious to it to this day."

Stephen said McCartney's offending has had a "profound impact" connected his eldest daughter.

At the opening of the year, she moved distant for assemblage but moved location aft six weeks.

"I judge she missed retired connected opportunities due to the fact that of spot issues. It's thing she's going to woody with forever," helium said.

"We cognize she's connected this medicine each the time, and the acheronian places that I'm definite her caput goes erstwhile she's alone."

Stephen said helium and his woman person been devastated by what happened to their children but determination was a metallic lining successful that they were capable to play a "small portion successful bringing him [McCartney] to justness and preventing further victims".