Episode 77: The Crimes of Alexander McCartney

In October 2024, news outlets reported that police in Northern Ireland had caught 'the UK's biggest catfish'. But 26-year-old Alexander McCartney did much more than just lie about who he was online. His crimes have devastated thousands of lives. And ended two.

This is Real.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of suicide and child sexual abuse. Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra care whilst listening.

The Cyber Helpline: (UK & US)
https://www.thecyberhelpline.com/

Advice for helping keep children safe online:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

If you need support, please see the links below to organisations that can help:

https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Mental health & Identity support
https://www.spuk.org.uk/ - Suicide Prevention UK
https://www.samaritans.org/ - The Samaritans
https://988lifeline.org/ - Suicide Prevention USA
https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ - Suicide Prevention Australia
https://www.pieta.ie/ - Suicide Prevention Ireland

https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/ - For people who have been the victim of sexual abuse (UK)

https://www.rainn.org/ - Sexual Abuse Support USA

https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory - Sexual Abuse Support Australia

https://www.rcni.ie/useful-links/ - Sexual Abuse Support Ireland

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