This is the moment police arrested a registered sex offender with a six-year-old girl he picked up from her school whilst also carrying a knife in south London.
Paedophile David Cheneler, 73, “could have gone on to abuse” the child after befriending her mother, who was unaware of his dreadful past spanning six decades.
He had been caught after triggering live facial recognition technology deployed on Denmark Hill, near Camberwell.
After cameras matched him to a watchlist of offenders and pinged an alert, Cheneler was stopped by officers in the street on January 10.
In body-worn footage released by the Metropolitan Police, he immediately confesses: “I shouldn’t be with that child.
“But I’ve only taken her from school to her mum’s. We’ve made a mistake, we got the wrong bus.”
Cheneler directed police to search the buckle of his belt where he had a lock knife hidden, boasting they “won’t probably” find it.
.jpeg)
Further checks confirmed he was in breach of a 2019 sexual offences prevention order which barred him from being alone with any child under 14.
It was imposed by the courts following Cheneler’s previous convictions in 2010 for 15 counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 and five of gross indecency with a child between 1968 and 1993. He served a nine-year prison term.
At Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday Cheneler, of Elfrida Crescent, in Bellingham, Lewisham, was sentenced to two years having pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his order, as well as possessing an offensive weapon.
Met officers established predator Cheneler had picked the girl up from school as a favour for her mother, which he had done on two previous occasions after building a relationship with them both over the course of a year.
Detective Constable Adam Pearce, of the Met’s South East Public Protection Command Unit, said: “This is a prime example of how the Met is using technology to remove dangerous offenders from our streets, and live facial recognition remains an important tool in protecting Londoners.
“Although there were no allegations made towards David Cheneler on this occasion, we are certain if he hadn’t been identified using this technology, he could have gone on to abuse this child.
“Her mother was completely unaware of his offending history, and along with her young daughter, were both taken advantage of by Cheneler who abused their trust.”
Lindsey Chiswick, the Met’s lead for live facial recognition, added: “The Met is committed to making London safer, using data and technology to identify offenders that pose a risk to our communities.
“This is a prime example of the variety of uses for LFR. The tool is not only used to find those wanted, but also to stop people on a watchlist who have conditions they must adhere to.
“These interventions are crucial. Without this technology, Cheneler may have had the opportunity to cause further harm.”
Since its roll-out across the Met, the technology has not only resulted in more than 570 arrests across London for a variety of offences, but also enabled critical interventions that enhance public safety and help identify safeguarding opportunities to protect the vulnerable, a spokesman said.
