Worldwide abuse

“Catfishing”: man sexually blackmails 3,500 children

A man is said to have sexually blackmailed around 3500 children online. The suspect has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Northern Ireland. The 26-year-old must remain in prison for at least 20 years. British media are talking about one of the biggest cases of "catfishing".

The 26-year-old is said to have sexually blackmailed around 3,500 children online from his bedroom. According to the British media, the man must spend at least 20 years in prison.

Pretended to be a teenager
The man posed as a teenager on portals such as Snapchat from 2015 to 2019. He made fake friends with girls and persuaded them to send him photos of their naked upper bodies. He then used them to blackmail them into performing sexualized acts.

He had contact with victims from around 30 countries from a bedroom in his parents' house. The man targeted young girls who were vulnerable or insecure about their sexual identity or their bodies.

One of the victims committed suicide
At Belfast Crown Court, he admitted 185 offenses involving 70 victims, including manslaughter, blackmail and the distribution of inappropriate images of children. One of his victims committed suicide. He had wanted to blackmail the twelve-year-old from the USA into forcing her younger sister to perform sexual acts in front of a web camera.

He is estimated to have caused serious and long-lasting harm to around 3,500 children and their families.

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan

"He is estimated to have caused serious and prolonged harm to around 3500 children and their families," said Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan. Investigators had not been able to identify all the victims and had therefore only been able to bring some of the cases to court.

The man had used multiple devices and operated in several time zones, Corrigan said. They had worked with investigators internationally to help victims and build a case against the man whose crimes had shocked the world. Now the series of crimes has come to an end: the 26-year-old received a life sentence.