Vincent Kearney

Northern Editor

Appeal to parents after 'most depraved' catfish case

Prosecutors in Northern Ireland who worked on the case of Alexander McCartney described the case as the largest, most complex and depraved investigation into sexual offences they had ever worked on.

Northern Ireland • 25 Oct 24

Cimarron pleaded with McCartney not to make her send him an image of her younger sister, but he was unrelenting

How online abuser destroyed girl's life from his NI home

Vincent Kearney outlines how an online abuser deceived his victims into sending compromising sexual images of themselves from his home in Armagh.

Analysis and Comment • 25 Oct 24

Eleanor Donaldson, 58, last month pleaded not guilty to three charges, including aiding and abetting

Application to drop two charges against Eleanor Donaldson

Lawyers for Eleanor Donaldson, the wife of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, will seek to have two of five sexual offence charges against her dropped at a court hearing in December.

Ulster • 25 Oct 24

Alexander McCartney pretended to be a teenage girl to target children across the world

Life sentence for man over manslaughter, abuse offences

A 26-year-old Armagh man who was the subject of one of the largest investigations in the world into the sexual extortion of children has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison for the manslaughter of a 12-year-old girl and more than 180 other offences relating to child abuse.

Northern Ireland • 25 Oct 24

Deputy Director of Amnesty Northern Ireland Gráinne Teggart said there are 'significant questions' about the UK government's commitment to repeal and replace the Troubles Act

Amnesty accuses UK govt of 'betraying' Troubles victims

Amnesty International has accused the UK of betraying victims of the Troubles and urged the Irish Government not to drop its legal challenge against hugely controversial British legislation in the European Court of Human Rights.

Ulster • 21 Oct 24

Daithi Quinn getting his ticket checked by train manager David Stewart before boarding the first Enterprise train to Dublin

Trains start running from Belfast Grand Central Station

Train services have started running from the largest transport hub on the island of Ireland in Belfast.

Ulster • 14 Oct 24

Mary Ward was the 24th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since January 2020

'Attitudes have to change' - the rise of femicide in NI

With Mary Ward being the 24th woman to be killed in Northern Ireland since January 2020, our Northern Editor Vincent Kearney asks what is being done to prevent femicide.

Analysis and Comment • 14 Oct 24