Twelve-year-old Cimarron Thomas was just like any other curious pre-teenager exploring the world around her.
On the verge of becoming a young woman, she spent hours in her room listening to Katy Perry and was enthralled by Netflix hit Stranger Things but, at the same time, held tight to her childhood passions of Harry Potter and elephants.
Cimarron Thomas took her own life over the cruel scam[/caption]
The shocked family had no idea why she had taken her own life[/caption]
Close to her nine-year-old sister, she harboured dreams of becoming a murder detective and her teachers described bright, hard-working Cimarron as a favourite pupil.
It’s no surprise that when she killed herself with her father’s handgun at her home in West Virginia in May 2018, her devastated family had no idea why Cimarron would take her own life.
Shattered by the loss of his daughter and his guilt at storing his gun where Cimarron was able to access it, her ex-Army veteran dad Ben, 39, took his own life 20 months later in January 2020.
As his wife Stephanie struggled to cope with the enormity of the tragedy, a year later a phone call came from 3,500 miles away in Northern Ireland that would destroy the family all over again.
Police revealed that Cimarron shot herself after falling victim to Britain’s most prolific catfish abuser.
Sick Alexander McCartney, 26, blackmailed the youngster into sending a topless picture on Snapchat – then demanded she lure her younger sister into a sex act or he would send the image to her dad.
Ashamed and feeling trapped, Cimarron warned her tormentor she would kill herself – and he callously launched a countdown.
The link was only discovered as police investigated twisted computer student McCartney’s devices after he posed as a young girl to try and blackmail a teenager in Scotland.
McCartney, of Newry, will be sentenced today for manslaughter and offences relating to blackmailing 70 other victims in the UK, Europe, America and New Zealand.
McCartney’s modus operandi was simple – he posed as a teen girl to befriend youngsters on social media, then used images they sent him to demand more.
Family torn apart
It is a story that will send a chill down the spine of every parent in the UK as the numbers of children falling victim to sextortion rises every year.
Figures show that 176 youngsters were targeted in 2023 – up from 21 the previous year – but experts believe there are hundreds more who are too ashamed to come forward.
Cimarron’s family and friends are calling for McCartney to be extradited to the US where it is likely he would be given a longer sentence in a tougher jail.
A family friend exclusively told The Sun: “Cimarron was such a sweet girl. She would have been really embarrassed by the threats to send a topless picture to her dad.
“She was on the verge of becoming a beautiful young woman like her mum Stephanie.
Cimarron and her dad Ben, who also took his own life[/caption]
The army veteran was crushed by his oldest daughter’s death[/caption]
“The family lives in a really tiny place where everyone knows everyone and it’s quite an innocent life and rural upbringing so maybe Cimarron wasn’t as aware of the dangers of people like this man.
“But then it’s something you read about in the paper that happens to other people’s kids – you just don’t expect it, do you?
“When Cimarron died it was a total mystery why she would kill herself and Ben just couldn’t cope with it. He’d been a soldier in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001 and her death really hit him hard.
“Stephanie and Cimarron’s little sister have been supported by the wider family as much as possible but her mum is a quiet person who has almost shut down after losing her and Ben. She finds it very, very hard to talk about.
“The family are furious that McCartney wasn’t charged with murder because that’s what he’s done – he’s killed this little girl. He might have done it from thousands of miles away but the result is the same.
“He should have faced justice in America. It would have been better if he’d been extradited here where he wouldn’t be sitting in some cushy British jail.”
An uncle of Cimarron told another publication: “He might as well have pulled the trigger myself and killed both my niece and brother.
“That man has torn the family apart. He should have been charged with murder and spend the rest of his life in prison.
“It’s been so hard for all the family to come to terms with what he did. We have all struggled.”
The sick abuser ruined lives from his home in Northern Ireland[/caption]
Family say mum Stephanie has ‘shut down’ following the double tragedy[/caption]
Rape threats and twisted demands
McCartney’s victims range from age 10 to 16 and were targeted over six years from 2013, mostly on Snapchat.
In some cases he made victims involve younger siblings and, on one occasion, forced a girl to involve a dog in a depraved act.
Vile McCartney told one victim he knew where she lived and, if she didn’t do what he said, he would send people to her house to rape her.
Cimarron’s ordeal began in May 2018 when she accepted a friend request from McCartney on Snapchat, believing she was another teenager.
Within hours the pair were exchanging messages, confiding the sort of girlie secrets and body issues that young girls worry about.
He might as well have pulled the trigger myself and killed both my niece and brother
Cimarron’s uncle
After being flattered about her body shape, Cimarron sent a topless image to her new ‘friend’ – and McCartney revealed his real identity.
Over four days he demanded she send him explicit images and involve her little sister in sex act.
When Cimarron refused, he told her to “dry your eyes and look cute for me.”
At Belfast Crown Court, prosecutor David McDowell QC described in gut-wrenching detail how Cimarron begged McCartney to stop.
When she told him she would rather kill herself, he launched a countdown, telling her: “Goodbye and Good luck.”
The court heard Cimarron’s sister later heard a sound from her parents bedroom that sounded like a “balloon popping.”
Her sister was found dead, lying next to her dad’s Heckler and Koch.
The lively 12-year-old was a bright and much-loved pupil[/caption]
Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan leaves Belfast Crown Court during the horrific case[/caption]
NSPCC online safety support
The safeguarding experts explained that parents don’t need to be online experts.
They have provided resources and advice to help support parents and children navigating the online world.
If your child asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, or speaks to you about a negative experience they had online, here are some of things you could do:
- Visit the NSPCC online safety hub: nspcc.org.uk/onlinesafety.
- Call the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 to speak to an advisor.
- Ask another parent.
- Speak to your child’s teacher.
- If your child needs more support, they can contact Childline: childline.org.uk.
‘Unquantifiable’ harm
Mr McDowell said McCartney “degraded and humiliated” victims and said the harm he had caused was “unquantifiable.”
Previous court hearings were told the investigation into the catfisher started in 2018 amid a report made to police in Scotland that a girl was being blackmailed on Snapchat.
Cops in Northern Ireland – who had previously searched McCartney’s home when he first came on their radar in 2016 – raided his house and took away his computer and mobile phone.
They found thousands of images of young girls in “various states of dress and undress, performing various sexual acts.”
McCartney pled guilty to one count of manslaughter, 59 of blackmail and 70 of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, along with dozens of charges related to the making and distribution of indecent images of children.
The prosecution, who called him “utterly remorseless,” said he targeted girls who were either gay or exploring their sexuality.
Cimarron’s heartbroken family issued a victim impact statement to the court, revealing their devastation at the little girl’s tragic death.
“Our lives will never be the same again,” it read.
“We didn’t get to see her graduate, walk down the aisle or have children. We have been robbed and our lives have been changed forever.”
