news. one of the world breaking news. one of the world most prolific online abusers alexander mccartney has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years in belfast. this breaking newsjust coming into the bbc. alexander mccartney has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years. we are here for our correspondent at belfast crown court that before imposing the sentence the judge said the offending was of the most serious type and also that there was a likelihood of alexander mccartney offending again. i willjust warn you the details that we will be hearing following this breaking news are upsetting. i'm just making that absolutely clear before we go any further with this breaking news story. i can confirm that alexander mccartney, 26—year—old has now been sentenced to life in

prison and he must serve a minimum of 20 years. was handed a life sentence with a minimum 20 years. our ireland correspondent richard morgan is outside the court in belfast. bring us up—to—date. before we speak, i'm once again warning our viewers that details from this case are very, very difficult. they are very upsetting. bring us up—to—date with this breaking news. the? with this breaking news. they are upsetting _ with this breaking news. they are upsetting the _ with this breaking news. they are upsetting the true - with this breaking news. they are upsetting _ with this breaking news. they are upsetting the _ with this breaking news. they are upsetting the true - with this breaking news. tie: are upsetting the true horror with this breaking news. ti31 are upsetting the true horror of mccartney's crimes we are of mccartney's crimes we are unable to broadcast and today unable to broadcast and today the judge the judge unable to broadcast and today thejudge said as part unable to broadcast and today the judge said as part of his unable to broadcast and today thejudge said as part unable to broadcast and today the judge said as part of his sentencing he did not want to sentencing he did not want to read out the full quarter of read out the full quarter of the crimes he said was not the crimes he said was not necessary to revisit the necessary to revisit the details of sadism and details of sadism and depravity. thejudge had depravity. thejudge had indicated some of the charges indicated some of the charges carried a life sentenced but we carried a life sentenced but we are now hearing that 20 years are now hearing that 20 years is the minimum that - is the minimum that mccartney

will spend in prison until 2039 and has already served five years in custody as this court process took place. he stood for that sentencing, he did not react, we were told and he kept his eyes closed and that is what we have seen throughout the hearings, mccartney looking at the floor, covering his ears as the true scale of what he did for years was right out at various court hearings. alexander mccartney cost terror and brought fear into the homes of thousands of children around the world from his bedroom in northern ireland and use messaging apps like snapchat and instagram to target vulnerable jungle and instagram to target vulnerablejungle —— girls and pretended he was a young girl with body image issues to l them and convince them to send compromising images and that he would turn on them, blackmail them and have them commit acts

of humiliation and depravity and he would get some of his young victims to abuse other children for his own sexual gratification. one of those charges was manslaughter which he admitted to. that was because of the death of 12—year—old girl in west virginia in the usa, cimarron thomas. he targeted cimarron thomas. he targeted cimarron thomas online and abused her and returned to her days later to abuse her once again and rather than comply with his demands, she took her own life. that suicide

demands, she took her own life. that suicil over morris. he was —— and no over morris. he was offending around the clock, day and night as he targeted over 3000 young girls, this is one of the biggest indictments in the history of northern ireland's judicial system. we are expecting reaction from detectives from the psni and public prosecution service in the next few minutes or so. richard morgan, outside the court there in belfast, thank you for bringing that to us and for viewersjoining us, you are joining us with this breaking news that alexander mccartney, the 26—year—old man described as the worlds most prolific online child abuser has now been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years. he will not be eligible for release until 2039. reviewersjoining us, as we look into this case, ijust

want to warn you that the details are difficult, the details are difficult, the details are difficult, the details are very upsetting and may if you are affected by this we have a live action page if you are affected or upset by anything you are hearing but just to say, exactly —— alexander mccartney the worlds most prolific online child sexual abuse has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years, not eligible to release until 2039. let's get the background to this very difficult case now. using a fake persona to befriend her online. he convinced her to share compromising photographs and then he turned on her. telling her that unless she did exactly as he said, the images would be posted. four days later mccartney returned

to using another fake persona and demanded she engaged in acts of degradation and depravity she said she would shoot herself, he told her she had 30 seconds to decide. she was found three minutes later by her younger sister who had thought she heard a balloon p0p- thought she heard a balloon .o., ~ :, �* , thought she heard a balloon .o.,: :, �*, thought she heard a balloon pop. what's your address? are ou next pop. what's your address? are you next to _ pop. what's your address? are you next to her? _ months later county cimarron thomas's father took his own life without knowing what caused her death. she would have _ what caused her death. she would have been _ what caused her death. si3 would have been 13 and july and she had lack —— a bright red lipstick because she was getting into that stage of her life, why was the biggest question. figs

life, why was the biggest question-— question. as well as manslaughter, - question. as well as - manslaughter, mccartney has pleaded guilty to charges including 59 counts of blackmail and 70 counts of inciting children to engage in sexual activity. prosecutors believe that from his rural home he put around 3500 children in 30 countries through depraved, humiliating and dangerous ordeals. this included forcing children to abuse other children. we were able to prove _ abuse other children. we were able to prove that _ abuse other children. we were able to prove that this - abuse other children. we were able to prove that this child i able to prove that this child took her own life during the abuse. when she was still online with mccartney so you had little girls and average age of 10—12 years old, many times being threatened and the most depraved way to do these things to themselves and provide mccartney with the images. a lot of the time this was happening through the

night, america, new zealand, the united kingdom, and europe. his offending was around the clock and it was difficult to know when he actually did anything else. mccartney was very assiduous about saving the images and he would also save the map on snapchat of the where the child was in some cases. some of the children had to raise the alarm which helped the police to actually identify him in the first place, but some of the children until police knocked on the door, they had never told anyone what they had never told anyone what they had never told anyone what they had been through. for they had never told anyone what they had been through.- they had been through. for the victims of _ they had been through. for the victims of mccartney, - they had been through. for the victims of mccartney, recovery| victims of mccartney, recovery is a daily battle. the court heard how many now suffer from flashbacks, suicidal thoughts, self harm and trust issues. these are the words of a father of victims from new zealand, they have been spoken by an actor. it they have been spoken by an actor. :, :, , , :, they have been spoken by an actor. ., ., , , ., , actor. it all happen for my daughter— actor. it all happen for my daughter within _ actor. it all happen for my daughter within minutes. | actor. it all happen for my l daughter within minutes. as soon — daughter within minutes. as soon as_ daughter within minutes. as soon as that first photo was

sent. — soon as that first photo was sent. a _ soon as that first photo was sent, a sequence of events was in motion — sent, a sequence of events was in motion that could never be undone — in motion that could never be undone and he had obviously honed — undone and he had obviously honed his craft over a significant period of time and as soon— significant period of time and as soon as see had that power, she was— as soon as see had that power, she was playing by his rules. it's something she is going to deal— it's something she is going to deal with_ it's something she is going to deal with forever. we know she is on _ deal with forever. we know she is on this— deal with forever. we know she is on this medication all the time — is on this medication all the time and _ is on this medication all the time and the darkest places that— time and the darkest places that i— time and the darkest places that i am sure her mind goes from — that i am sure her mind goes from time _ that i am sure her mind goes from time to time when she is alone — from time to time when she is alone. : :, from time to time when she is alone. : ., a ., alone. alexander mccartney's offendinu alone. alexander mccartney's offending is — alone. alexander mccartney's offending is over _ alone. alexander mccartney's offending is over and - alone. alexander mccartney's offending is over and its - offending is over and its impact will last a lifetime. reporting there on the background to what i am warning viewers is a very difficult case, some of the details mentioned in court we are not reporting because they are simply too graphic. we have a statement from snapchat. we heard in that report their that pretending to be a girl operating mainly on snapchat mccartney found in preprinted girls all over the world and

the bbc has received the statement from snapchat. the social media company said: "the sexual exploitation of any person is horrific and illegal "and our hearts go out to the victims in this case. "if we discover this activity, or it is reported to us, "we remove it, lock the violating account "and report it to the authorities. "we have extra protections for teens to make "it difficult for them to be contacted by strangers "and we have expanded in—app notifications "to ensure teens are in touch with people they trust. "through our in—app family centre parents can also see who their teens are talking to, and who their friends are." that, a statement from snapchat that has been issued by the company here. we have nowjust read that out too because that is of course one of the ways

that alexander was contacting children, young girls, children. reviewersjoining us, i will remind viewers that this is a difficult case that we have just had that sentence within the past few moments and that this is a difficult case with a lot of difficult and very upsetting details. just making reviewersjoining us making reviewers joining us aware making reviewersjoining us aware of this. but i can tell you that alexander mccartney was described as the worlds most prolific online child abuser has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years. thejustice presiding over the case described alexander mccartney's crimes as one of sadism and depravity which scarred the childhoods of his victims. we know that mccartney pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year after a 12—year—old girl took her own life rather

than comply with his demands. police