A convicted sex offender has been placed behind bars for two years after officers found him alone with a six-year-old girl, in breach of his sentence.
73-year-old David Cheneler, from Lewisham, (pictured) was caught in January in Denmark Hill after his face was identified by Live Facial Recognition cameras attached to the back of a van, alerting officers to his presence.
When he was stopped by officers, he was found to be with a six-year-old girl, who he had picked up from school as a favour for her mother, who was unaware of his offending history.
Police said he had picked up the child on two previous occasions after building a relationship with the mother and child over the course of a year.
Further checks confirmed he was in breach of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which prevented him from being alone with a child under the age of 14. He was also in possession of a lock knife that was hidden in the buckle of his belt. He was arrested and taken into custody.
Facial recognition cameras capture live footage of people passing by and compare their faces against a database of wanted offenders. If a match is detected, the system generates an alert. An officer will then review the match and decide if they wish to speak with the individual.
Detective Constable Adam Pearce of the Met’s local policing team in south-east London, who led the investigation, 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, it’s possible 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.”
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Lindsey Chiswick, the Met’s lead for Live Facial Recognition, said: “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 watch list who have conditions they must adhere to.
“These interventions are crucial. Without this technology, Cheneler may have had the opportunity to cause further harm.”
He appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, 20 May, where he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
He pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 13 January to breaching the conditions of his SOPO, as well as possessing an offensive weapon.
The SOPO was originally imposed in 2019 by the courts, following a previous conviction in 2010 for 15 counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 and five counts of gross indecency with a child between 1968 and 1993, for which he served a nine-year prison term.
Live Facial Recognition enables the Met to take a more precise, intelligence-led approach to tackling crime.
Each deployment is carefully planned based on operational needs and is guided by data to ensure resources are directed at offenders who pose the greatest threat to our communities.
