Earlier this year, Newry man Alexander McCartney admitted the manslaughter of a 12-year-old American girl, after he catfished her through various social media apps.
Catfishing involves using a fake online identity to target other online users which then leads to online sexual abuse, exploitation and blackmail.
He also previously pleaded guilty to over 180 charges relating mostly to online child abuse, spanning a period from 2013 to 2019, involving more than 60 victims from as far afield as America and New Zealand, many of whom were contacted via Snapchat.
The 26-year-old Co Armagh man is currently in prison awaiting sentencing, but UTV has tonight reported that a separate, almost three-year investigation has been completed by the Police Ombudsman into the PSNI’s management over McCartney’s case from the beginning.
Sources cited by UTV said that “before the enormity of what McCartney was up to became apparent, his house was searched twice and his computers were seized for examination”.
“That didn’t happen straight away and they stayed in a queue for some time.”
Concerns have been raised as to whether some of McCartney’s victims could have been identified an informed earlier had police examined evidence sooner.
Police referred themselves for investigation to the Police Ombudsman in 2021.
The Ombudsman’s office said that “the Chief Constable asked the Police Ombudsman to investigate concerns about the initial stages of the PSNI’s investigation of online child sex offences by Alexander McCartney”.
“The concerns included that the forensic examination of McCartney’s computers and electronic devices may have been delayed,” they continued.
“Our investigation of the issues identified by the Chief Constable is now complete, and we are in the process of drafting our report.”
A previous court heard an investigation was launched in 2018 after police in Scotland received a complainant.
This led to McCartney and after his Lissummon Road home was searched, a computer and mobile phone were seized and thousands of indecent images of young girls were uncovered.
A PSNI spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment given the investigation.