New Zealand dad of catfish victims says he will never forgive predator
Alexander McCartney was jailed for life on Friday
Last updated 26th Oct 2024
WARNING: Distressing content
A father from New Zealand has said he will never forgive Alexander McCartney for abusing his two young daughters.
The father said his family has been left devastated after the online abuse.
He said his oldest daughter was just 12 when she was contacted from the other side of the world by McCartney in December 2017.
At Belfast Crown Court, McCartney, from Newry, Northern Ireland, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years for his crimes.
The court heard how he coerced the girl into sending him intimate pictures, and then used them to blackmail her into sending images of her younger sister, who was 10.
The father told the PA news agency: "He befriended my oldest daughter on Snapchat, it was just a random connection.
"Then over a period of a few months he built trust with her, she believed she was talking to a female, not a male.
"As part of that trust, that friendship that developed, he then elicited for her to pose for a nude photo, which she sent.
"Once he had that, he had the power and it was a case of playing by his rules.
"He manipulated and blackmailed her into sending more pictures which included my younger daughter, photos of her ended up being sent as well."
The father said his younger daughter remains oblivious to the abuse.
He said: "She just thought it was two sisters playing dress up and doing silly things together in the supposed safety of their bedroom."
He said McCartney then used his eldest daughter's contacts on Snapchat to contact her cousin, who was then 17.
He said: "He tried blackmailing her cousin to get my daughter to send more photos.
"Thankfully she was mature enough and smart enough to realise that wasn't okay.
"She went to my wife with it and we went straight to the police with it and it very quickly snowballed from there."
The father said that within months, McCartney had been traced and they became aware it was part of an investigation which stretched across the world.
He said his eldest daughter, who is now 18, still deals with the trauma of her experience.
"It has had a severe impact. She has a lot of anxiety, she is on antidepressant medication.
"Even at her age she still hasn't had any semblance of a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
"She just really seems to have issues with trust, with building relationships with people.
"That is the hardest part for us, most of her friends have partners.
"When they go out, they go out together. A lot of the time she just stays behind.
"That is the part of it we see every day. I guess the scarier bit is how she dealing with it behind closed doors.
"It is hard, you don't want to be constantly bringing it up, making her relive it.
"It has been seven years, but it is something that will never go away."
The dad said he wanted to speak out to increase awareness for other parents of the online dangers for children.
He said: "As a parent you can be vigilant, but there is only so much you can do.
"Once kids come home from school they are online, talking to their friends. You can't take all of that away, it is part of the world they live in.
"For us it is about being vigilant and having that communication with your kids so they know they can reach out and say this doesn't feel right.
"These kids are innocent; they don't understand blackmail, they don't understand manipulation, they can't fathom why someone would do this to them.
"It is about getting parents to talk to their kids about online safety.
"Do you know 100% who they are talking to?"
He added: "Having both of our daughters involved is gut-wrenching, as a parent it is devastating.
"Within the four walls of your home, they should be safe.
"He manipulated and preyed on their innocence for his own sick enjoyment.
"We will never forgive and we never forget the horrific things this predator has done."
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