Sex offender spotted with child by face ID cameras

A registered sex offender has been jailed for two years after he was spotted walking with a six-year-old girl during a Live Facial Recognition (LFR) police operation.

David Cheneler, 73, was found with the child in Denmark Hill, south-east London, on 10 January following an alert from LFR cameras.

Checks confirmed that Cheneler was in breach of his Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO), which prohibited him from being alone with a child under 14. He was also in possession of a lock-knife.

Cheneler, of Lewisham, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, having previously pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his SOPO, and possessing an offensive weapon.

The Met Police uses LFR in pre-agreed locations in London to capture 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 to the individual.

Det Con Adam Pearce said: "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."

The Met Police said officers established that Cheneler had picked the child up from school as a favour for her mother and had done so twice before, having built a relationship with them both over the course of a year.

Lindsey Chiswick, the Met's lead for LFR, said the technology could be used to stop people on a watch-list who have conditions they must adhere to.

"Without this technology, Cheneler may have had the opportunity to cause further harm," she said.

Cheneler's SOPO was originally imposed in 2019, along with a nine-year prison sentence for 21 child abuse offences.

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