A man who abused up to 3,500 girls online has been sentenced for crimes including manslaughter

LONDON (AP) — An online predator who blackmailed as many as 3,500 girls around the world has been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Alexander McCartney admitted 185 charges, including the manslaughter of a victim who took her own life. Prosecutors say 26-year-old McCartney, from Northern Ireland, pretended to be a teenage girl and carried out catfishing attacks on female victims he contacted on platforms including Snapchat. A 12-year-old in West Virginia killed herself in May 2018 while online with McCartney. At Belfast Crown Court, Judge John O’Hara sentenced McCartney on Friday to life with no chance of parole for 20 years. The judge said the perpetrator had used social media to inflict “terrible and catastrophic damage.”