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on bbc news. >> he has caused an immeasurable damage to children and their families. >> outside a federal court in new york where mike jeffries, the former ceo of abercrombie and fitch is due to appear. earlier this week he was arrested on sex trafficking charges and is due to enter his plea. >> i can get you a boat. you will pay me 15,000 euros. you will get to the boat with 60 lifejackets and equipment, guaranteed delivery to the calais area. >> a man who targeted thousands of children across 30 countries and what was described as industrial scale online abuse is sentenced to life in prison. the judge said alexander mccartney was remorseless in carrying out crimes of sadism and depravity. one of his victims, a

12-year-old from west virginia, took her life after being abused by mccartney. we will speak to a child action expert. also, the former chief executive of the american clothing retailer abercrombie and fitch, is about to appear in court on sex trafficking charges following a bbc investigation. the bbc uncovers evidence of how traffickers operate in the english channel. and the latest on the race for the white house with 10 days to go until election day. one of the world's most prolific online asers who drove one of his young victims to take her own life has been jailed for life at belfast crown court. alexander mccartney admitted 100 85 charges involving 70 children. although the court was told the true number of victims could be high as 3500.

mccartney, who is 26 posed as a young girl in order to befriend young girls in 30 countries on the messaging services that cap before going on to blackmailed him. the charts and mccartney's crimes had started his victims childhoods and that the details of his offending put the case on par with murder. >> simmering thomas lived thousands of miles away from the abuser who caused her death. >> why? why was the biggest question, why? this was the sunday that we took her home before her passing. bright red lipstick on, getting onto that stage of her life to be a teenager. she almost was. >> alexander mccartney was blackmailing her. he had initially pretended to be a teenage girl, to trick cimarron into sending him explicit pictures of herself. he went through the same

sickening routine with 3500 victims, telling them they would post the photos publicly unless they carried out acts of abuse for his sexual gratification. three minutes after mccartney's last message, the emergency services received this call. >> what happened? she fell? shot herself? get racks, put pressure on that, control the bleeding as much as you can. secure the firearm. >> 18 months later, her father took his own life without knowing what led to her daughter's suicide. police and prosecutors on both side of the atlantic worked to bring the manslaughter charge. mccartney targeted victims across the world over five years . he ordered some girls to film themselves using other children. >> you have little girls, average age of 10 to 12 years old many times bei threatened

in the most depraved way. when he got that first photograph from them, he actually had a preprepared threat saved in his phone which he would cut and paste into the chat. his offending was around-the-clock. it was difficult to know when he did anything else. >> a number of victims were in new zealand. one father said his family had been devastated. >> it all happen for my daughter within minutes, as soon as that first photo was sent. a sequence of events was in motion could never be undone. he had obviously honed his craft over a significant period of time. as soon as he had that power, she was playing by his rul. >> mccartney is now facing justice with a life prison sentence. >> the judge said the full extent of mccartney's crimes but the case on par with murder. he told the court he couldn't

imagine a more dangerous sex offender. the detective leading the inquiry said there had never been an investigation like it. >> the offending was on an industrial scale. mccartney's actions have dictly caused the death of a child. he may as well have pulled the trigger himself. >> mccartney must serve at least 20 years before he can apply for early release. the online killer is one of the most prolific child abusers to ever be convicted. >> let's speak now to an internet safety expert with a focus on helping parents protect their children online. she joi us from dallas. thank you very much for your time today. i know you have been following this horrific case. words really cannot capture how horrific it is, the impact it has had on so many children including little cimarron there in the united states.

your understanding of this is personal because, as a teenager, you yourself were contacted by a predator online pretending to be someone else. tell us what happened to you. >> i thought he was my age when i first started talking to him, i felt like he was my friend, we were both playing online games. he made himself familiar to me and i thought that i could tell him anything and everything. let me down a path that is my work today. >> at one point, you actually contemplated running away from home. tell us what you're thinking was at that point and what stopped you from doing that >> i felt like my safe space was with that predator. he understood me, was nonjudgmental, did not make me feel bad for loving anime, cosplay, gaming. i felt like i had a safe base with him as opposed to my parents, so i decided to meet him at a park next to my friends house. i was packing my bags, i was

going to leave home, and i told my mom, i am going to meet someone i said online. i only said that because i wanted to know where i was, not asking for permission. instead of yelling and screaming, which she had every right to do, shealked to me as an experienced friend and they me realize that she was my safe space and not a predator. i didn't know they were a predator at the moment. >> you described that as a conversation that actually changed your life that day, has led you to do the work that you do now. tell us more about that. >> absolutely. in that moment, my mother felt like this was the last moment that she would speak with me. because she talked to me about who this person was, how did you meet him, how does he make you feel, what did you talk about, she wasn't asking to get more information on him and take away my technology. i felt like she was genuinely interested in my conversations and wanted to know more.

that conversation help me open up more to her, talk to her about anyone i was talking to online. i didn't feel like she would judge me for my activities. a lot of kids cover the conversation they have because one of the first conversation parents have with kids -- same with me -- don't talk to strangers online, do not send pictures. you are afraid as a child that if i do that, my parent will be disappointed in me, they will take away my devices. because i did not feel that in that conversation, i was able to open up to my mom, tell her who i was talking to, and i felt safe with her more than someone online. >> you have taken all these messages into your work now where you educate parents how to help their children navigate the online world safely. to all the young children who have been affected by this case, to any child going through something like this now, or who might encounter someone like this online in the future, what

is your message to them? >> it is normal to develop friendships. it is normal to have feelings for other people. it is normal to grow upnd have any type of feeling you have to somebody else. it is ok if an incident happens that makes you feel uncomfortable. there are people around you that love you and that you can speak to them. you can forgive yourself, forgive the situation that you were put in. it is not your fault, number one. speak to someone who loves you a lot and let them know that you are coming to them, you know this is a difficult situation, but you want them to accept you and be nonjudgmental. that way you can have a safe space in your household. >> thank you so much for joining us on "the context." if you have been affected by any of the issues raised, you can speak to a health professional organization that offers support. in the u.k., you can find a list of organizations that can help at this website.

outside the u.k. to befriend ers.org. the former chief executive of abercrombie and fitch is about to appear in court in new york on sex trafficking charges. mike jeffries, his partner, and a third men are accused of tempting men to sex parties with the promise of a career in the fashion and modeling industry. the fbi launched an investigation into the 80-year-old former fashion boss after a three-year bbc investigation reporting on the allegations last year. lawyers for mr. jeffries and his partner have denied the charges. our investigation correspondent has been working on the story for three years and sent this report. >> i'm outside of the federal court in new york where mike jeffries, the former ceo of abercrombie and fitch, is due to appear. earlier this week he was arrested on sex trafficking charges. this all comes off the back of a

bbc investigation which revealed allegations that he and his british partner matthew smith sexually exploited young men that they hosted around the world. these took place in major cities including here in new york and marrakech, from at least 2008 until 2015. also found he and his partner were at the center of a highly organized operation, one that involved a middleman, and that middleman, james jacobson, is also due to appear in court today. his lawyers have declined to comment, other than to say he intends to plead not guilty. >> in another bbc investigation, evidence of how gangs in germany store small bones used by migrants to cross the english channel has been discovered. during a covertly filmed meeting, two smugglers reveal how dinghies are kept in warehouses around the city.

our berlin correspondent jessica parker reports. >> west germany, a place where many migrants come to our pass-through. it is here that our journalist is posing as a syrian man who wants to get to britain on a small boat. wearing a secret camera, he meets this man, a boat smuggler who says his name is abu sahar. these are videos from abu, motorist, and dinghies for use in migrant crossings. this one he suggests is being stored nearby somewhere around, ready for the right price. they end up at a cafe. it is becoming clear someone else is coming. >> months on groundwork have led up to this moment. our guy is just a couple streets away having a meeting with his contact. we have a tracker on him. we are parked here, we don't want to get too close. that could compromise things i'm

a but we have to be close enough in case there is a problem and we have to get him out of there. they are joined by a man, the uncle, a term of authority. due to german law, we cannot record the sound of the meeting, so right after, our journalist describes to me what happened. >> they tell me the equipment comes from turkey. they have around 10 warehouses in essen. police raided one of them a few days ago but they separate the stock and give them to police. >> as our investigation shows, smugglers are moving boats from turkey into germany, now a central location for storing dinghies later used in channel crossings, because cities like essen are near but not to near the clais regions more closely watched beaches, helping to smuggle people out of the eu into a third country like the u.k. isn't technically illegal. rates have had en using european arrest warrants. back at the cafe, it is down to

business. >> the smugglers as one option. i can get you a boat. you will pay me 15,000 euros. you will get to the boat with 60 lifejackets and all the equipment, guaranteed delivery to the calais area. >> this testimony is backed up by videos, messages, and voice notes from the smugglers. in various exchanges, the main contact even discusses the merits of certain engine models, and known migrant crossing points. on the beaches of northeastern france, don breaks. responding to our reports, downing street said enforcement must be stepped up. the german government said close cooperation will continue but the remnants are failed, even fatal crossing attempts to deliver these shores as smugglers make big money from this misery.

jessica parker, bbc news. christian: around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. ♪

>> the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken has been holding talks in london with arab leaders in a fresh attempt to find a way to end the fighting in the middle east. in qatar this weekend, mediators will reconvene for the first time in weeks, trying to revive lapse negotiations on a cease-fire in gaza. mr. blinken has spoken to the nobody's prime minister and is also talking to the foreign ministers from jordan and the united arab emirates. the tecra terry us a promise to work with a real urgency with diplomatic solutions. our state department correspondent tom bateman has this update. >> what the americans have been trying to do here in london and in the region over the last few days, traveling with mr. blinken, is to work on what they post-conflict plan for gaza.

how to secure it, how to rebuild it, and crucially, how it would be governed. that might seem a bit odd seeing as they have not made any progress for weeks on how to actually end the war. the plan that was in place for that, negotiation that centered around for getting a cease-fire between israel and hamas in exchange for the release of hostages, and then you would have a process during which the two parties, during these mediated negotiations, work out what happens next. that is the demand of pool withdrawal of troops from gaza, into the war. with the americans are trying to do after the death of yahya sinwar, is to in some ways set the process to the side, to work on the postwar plan for governance. i think they believe they are getting some traction on that from the israelis. they want to get buy-in from a

rib countries who would be crucial in potentially sponsoring it, perhaps even speculating providing security forces, support, and money to rebuild gaza. they want toet all that done. then present it as a sort of fete a complit to say this is the plan for gaza without hamas and crucially the israelis. that could then be presented as a fete a complit to hamas that would take place in exchange for the release of hostages. >> let's go to washington to speak to the executive vice president at the center for international policy and former president of the foundation for middle east peace. also a former policy adviser to bernie sanders. good to have you with us on the program. based on your experience and contacts, do you think there is any cause to believe these latest efforts might bear some fruit? >> i don't.

i wish i could say differently. what we have seen is just a replay of what we have seen from now over a year, and that is the united states is unwilling to put any real pressure on the government of israel, and netanyahu in particular, to end this war. months ago, president biden laid out his own cease-fire plans. i said at the time that the missing piece in that plan was the imposition of any cost whatsoever on netanyahu if he did not accept. we have seen time and again that netanyahu's goal here is to sustain and prolong this war for his own domestic political purposes and until the united states is willing to change his political calculation, i don't think that will change. >> do you think the israeli government is also waiting to find out the result of the u.s. presidential election before deciding on any next moves? >> it seems likely to me that that is what happened.

it is very clear that benjamin netanyahu would prefer donald trump restoration in the white house, understands he would have a far better situation. even the small amount of pressure and criticism he has faced from the united states under the biden administration will evaporate, i think, under trump. clearly, his main focus has always been his own political fortunes but i think you also understand that by sustaining this war, he is hurting the democrats. >> do you believe it was a misstep by the biden administration to put a 30-30 deadline which puts us past the election day on the israeli government to improve the flow of humanitarian aid into gaza? >> i think that was a completely ridiculous proposition. we do not need 30 days to see what is happening before our eyes. everyone knows and the biden administration knows the israeli military, government is using food and hunger as a weapon and

are restricting humanitarian aid. they don't need 30 days to figure that out. >> thank you very mu for joining us. a new report suggest elon musk, the world's richest man, was once asked by russian president vladimir putin to avoid activating his star link intern service over taiwan, according to a new wall street journal report which cited two people briefed on the request. president putin had asked that as a favor to chinese leaders xi jinping. musk and putin have been talking since 20 about personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions. a kremlin spokesperson says any communication the kremlin has had with elon musk was one telephone call in which he and president putin discussed space and other technologies. these reports have raised questions given the importance of elon musk's spacex to military and intelligence communications and his involvement in the donald trump campaign.

mr. muska has not responded to requests for a comment. let's speak to our technology reporter at the wall street journal, one of the authors of the article. thank you for joining us. you have been speaking to a number of sources on the story. tell us more about what you found. >> well, we are reporting that mr. musk has been in regular contact with the russian president vladimir putin, as well as other high-ranking officials, since late 2022, but continuing into this year in a period where musk started to more vocally supported donald trump in his reelection campaign. >> because of those close links and access to spacex, military and intelligence agencies, because of his donation to the trump campaign, mr. trump also suggesting that elon musk could become head of a government task force on efficiency, if he wins

the election, what are the concerns that you are hearing? >> well, you know, we are two weeks away from a presidential election. emotions are very high on both sides. when someone becomes one of the most prominent supporters of one of the candidates, appears in a story like the one we have written, a lot of people will see it in light of their political views. but if you step back, there are a couple of different ways of putting it in context in the security level. on one hand, some in the current administration could be concerned putin is an authoritarn leader, one of the u.s.'s chief antagonists, and musk has business ties and access to sensitive information. on the other hand, we know donald trump, with whom elon musk has become closely allied, has said that he would like to

cut a deal about ukraine. in that context, perhaps musk's contacts could be a useful back channel. >> many people would call elon musk idiosyncratic, eccentric even. he has conversations with lots of people about space and technology. one of them happens to be president putin. >> that is true. elon musk has a lot of dealings with world leaders, he flies around frequently. he has shown an interest in leaders -- some right wing and authoritarian leaders like vladimir putin. on some level, it could be a natural thing for him to speak. but it definitely is something that could raise some concerns within the national security establishment given his role at

spacex which operates starli nk, an important internet access or both ukraine in its fight against russia, also for the u.s. military, people around the world. >> tnk you so much for your time today. >> thank you for having me. >> stay with us because we are continuing our conversations with contacts and those all important swing states in the u.s. election. michigan and nevada. stay with us here on bbc news for "the context." announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

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