‘Cruel’ Snapchat paedophile who terrorised young girls and blackmailed American high school cheerleader into performing degrading sex acts learns his fate
- Alex James McPhie, 26, sentenced to up to six years
- Paedophile had blackmailed US high school children
A depraved paedophile who posed as a teenage boy before blackmailing an American high school cheerleader into performing degrading sex acts has been jailed.
Alex James McPhie, 26, from Albion Park in Illawarra, was sentenced to up to six years behind bars in Wollongong District Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to six ‘grave and cruel’ crimes.
The court heard how McPhie, who was living in Wagga Wagga during some of the offending, connected with an American girl through Instagram and Snapchat with the two first speaking when the victim was just 13.
McPhie went by the username ‘Matty34’ while masquerading as a 13-year-old boy.
In January 2019, McPhie threatened to email the girl’s school and told her ‘do what I say and this will all be over in 10 minutes’, according to the Illawarra Star.
Alex James McPhie, 26, from Albion Park in Illawarra, was sentenced to up to six years behind bars in Wollongong District Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to six ‘grave and cruel’ crimes
His abuse, which he recorded and saved on his phones, lasted over half an hour.
The court heard how the victim wiped away tears and begged for McPhie to stop as he demanded her to undress.
The video ended with the girl saying ‘I’m done’ before McPhie replied menacingly: ‘You’re done for now’.
He preyed on a 10-year-old Australian girl in December 2019, telling her he ‘loved her body’, before sending her a picture of his penis and pressuring her to send him a picture of her vagina.
The girl’s 11-year-old sister confronted McPhie on Snapchat, calling him a ‘skanky old c**t’ and to delete or block her.
‘What will you do to make sure I don’t,’ McPhie said.
‘Do you really want them (the photos of the 10-year-old girl) kept a secret … what are you wearing?’
McPhie threatened to send her sister’s photos ‘around everywhere’ and blamed the older girl.
The children told their mother with police managing to locate McPhie using his IP location and Snapchat history to link ‘Matty34’ to his address.
During a search of his Albion Park home police seized two iPhones containing a child abuse material including photos sent by the 10-year-old girl.
There were a total of 34 items of child abuse material featuring an age range of three to 16-years-old.
The court heard how McPhie, who was living in Wagga Wagga during some of the offending, connected with an American girl through Instagram and Snapchat with the two first speaking when the victim was just 13
Police also found a screenshot of a NSW Police Q&A website dubbed ‘Child pornography over the internet’.
McPhie reportedly told the court his offending was spurred on by loneliness and alcohol abuse when he moved to Wagga due to his partner’s work.
His partner dumped him after his criminal behaviour was revealed late last year and he complained of receiving threats through social media.
Incredibly, McPhie told the court he did not have a sexual attraction towards children – a claim scorned by the Judge.
‘He doesn’t accept he has a sexual attraction to children while he was sitting there masturbating to a 10-year-old?’ said Judge Herber, while also casting doubt over a defence submission that McPhie was ’empathetic’ to his victims.
‘A child was crying throughout what happened to her. He showed a stark lack of empathy while he was pleasuring himself throughout the video.’
McPhie could be eligible for parole in April 2027.
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