Catfish killer Alexander McCartney sentenced to at least 20 years in prison

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Although investigators believe that approximately 3,500 children were victims; this case focused on 70 of them to ensure a manageable court caseload.

In 2019, it was confirmed that the Police Service of Northern Ireland had established a “task force” to specifically investigate McCartney due to the number of potential victims.

Identifying the alleged victims had become a “mammoth task” as the investigation stretched to New Zealand, the court was previously told.

The court heard that 12 computer devices were initially seized from McCartney following his arrest.

It was explained that these devices are capable of imitating other computers, giving the operator the ability to come into contact with four times as many victims.

“Each emulator has 760 folders, and each of those folders identifies one victim,” the prosecutor said.

“There is a small sample size that has come forward for prosecution and this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

A total of 64 devices were found at his home in rural Lissammon Road near Newry during four separate raids.

These devices contained thousands of violent images.