Hawke's Bay girl one of the alleged victims in international 'catfish' child porn case

Alexander McCartney, a 21-year-old from Newry in Northern Ireland, allegedly urged children to send him naked pictures of themselves. Photo / Supplied

Hundreds of new charges have been laid against a man who allegedly used false identities to target children online, including a 12-year-old Hawke's Bay girl.

Alexander McCartney, a 21-year-old from Newry in Northern Ireland, allegedly urged children to send him naked pictures of themselves.

The charges against him come after what has been called the United Kingdom's biggest ever investigation into a so-called "catfish" paedophile network.

Catfish is a term that means to lure someone into a relationship or ongoing communication by means of a false online persona.

McCartney appeared in a Northern Irish court on Friday to face 386 charges including inciting a child into sexual activity including penetration, making, distribution and possession of indecent photographs of a child, and blackmail, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

The university student had previously been charged with offences including sexual activity with a child and intimidation to commit an act of sexual activity with a child, between January 2018 and July this year.

McCartney was taken back into custody, and the case adjourned until January 15.
Police have previously confirmed a 12-year-old girl from Hawke's Bay was among the huge number of children across the world targeted.

Detective Sergeant Heath Jones warned parents to be alert to their children's use of the internet, particularly via mobile phones, which enabled predators to "target children from anywhere, at any time".

"To help your children stay safe you can also make sure you know who your children are making contact with online and which social networking sites they're using," he said.

"There now exists a wealth of information online to help parents to have a conversation with their children about online safety."

McCartney's case has been described as the biggest catfish child abuse investigation in UK court history. A prosecutor told the BBC they expected to identify thousands of new victims across the world.

The lawyer alleged the accused's modus operandi was to "blackmail young victims in to abuse" before trying to get their younger siblings or cousins involved.

Where to get help:

• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334.
• Alternatively contact your local police station
• If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.