Child abuser investigation delayed by 'under-resourcing'

An investigation into prolific online sex abuser Alexander McCartney was delayed by "under-resourcing", a report by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland (PONI) has found.

It found the ability of police to "keep children safe" had been "significantly compromised".

McCartney, 27, was given a life sentence last year, with a minimum of 20 years in jail, for the online abuse of children and the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was "deeply sorry for any further distress these findings may cause" and it fully accepted the findings and the lessons that must be learned.

McCartney, from outside Newry, is recognised as one of the world's most prolific online child abusers.

Although he admitted 185 charges, it is believed he created fake personas to target as many as 3,500 victims, aged 10 to 16, from more than 30 countries.

A 12-year-old girl from the US, Cimarron Thomas, took her own life in 2018 while he was abusing her.

The PSNI asked PONI to conduct an independent review of its handling of the McCartney case, with the results published on Monday.

McCartney's litany of crimes between 2013 and 2019 has been described as "the UK's largest catfishing case".

Catfishing involves the use of a false identity online to befriend and exploit victims.

PONI chief executive Hugh Hume said the PSNI's cybercrime teams did not have "the capacity or capability" to manage the risk McCartney posed.

He said it was "clear" they were "under-resourced and under pressure".

The report also found that the management of McCartney's bail conditions was "ineffective".

McCartney was first arrested in 2016, when he was 17, after indecent images of children were found on his mobile phone, a tablet and five computers.

He was released on bail and a delay in producing evidential reports about some 1,100 indecent images meant he was not interviewed again until two years later.

During this period, McCartney had been involved in abusive online communications involving Cimarron and at least seven other children.

Cimarron died five days before McCartney's second interview.

Mr Hume said the delays in police inquiries were due to insufficient resourcing "amid a growing backlog of devices requiring examination in connection with online child abuse".

He added: "When the initial devices were seized from McCartney in 2016, the officer responsible for investigating his online offending was part of a team that, due to absences and other factors, had only five officers in post against the complement of 14 it was supposed to have.

"This resulted in delays in the investigation and potential prosecution of those whose activities pose such a risk to children and young people," Mr Hume stated.

"Opportunities to proactively follow evidence to identify where indecent images of children were being shared were missed."

PONI found "significant pressures" among all PSNI teams responsible for investigating online offending involving children and indecent images.

In 2018, the PSNI Cybercrime Centre, with 60 staff, had 935 computers and 284 mobile phones to examine.

The centre prioritised terrorism and serious crime offences, "negatively and disproportionately impacting on the examination of devices submitted by the child internet protection team".

"However the offending committed by Alexander McCartney was violence against women and girls at its most extreme level in the online space, and we've seen the tragic outcome," Mr Hume told BBC News NI.

"All cases of this nature – of violence against women and girls should carry at least equal weight to other similar criminality and should be prioritised within PSNI."

The PONI investigation also found there were "insufficient" resources to manage McCartney's bail conditions.

The conditions included living at an approved address and not having contact with children under 16 unless supervised.

The PONI report stated there was "a culture" where officers imposed "superficial, ineffective and unsupervised bail conditions upon suspects and offenders".

Mr Hume said McCartney's "continued offending went completely unchecked".

Staff in the "overstretched" child internet protection team were "unable to adequately impose or manage meaningful bail conditions, such as restrictions around internet usage".

He added: "It is clear that the bail conditions imposed on him failed to manage the risks he posed.

"Indeed, this was symptomatic of the wider situation across Northern Ireland, as other suspected offenders were subject to similar conditions, also without any checks to ensure compliance."

It was not until McCartney's third arrest in 2019 that a bail condition restricting his access to the internet was imposed.

"It is my hope that the learning from our investigation and other similar enquiries will help ensure that the PSNI addresses the identified failings, leading to swift and proactive enquiries and effective bail management to provide children and young people with the protection they require," said Mr Hume.

In a statement, the PSNI said they were "committed to learning from this case to strengthen our ability to protect children and young people from harm in the future".

At the time of the investigation, they said demand for their Child Internet Protection Team and Cybercrime Centre was "rising exponentially, far exceeding the available resources and technological capability".

"We recognise that this resulted in unacceptable delays in digital forensic analysis, investigative progression, and the management of bail conditions."

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said: "We have listened, we have learned, and we are acting.

"Improvements have already been made to ensure that those who exploit and abuse children online are identified more swiftly, investigated more effectively, and brought to justice."

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