Facial recognition cams catch offender David Cheneler
An offender is back behind bars after police used Live Facial Recognition to catch him with a six-year-old girl.
LFR cameras film people passing by and generate an alert if there is a match with a database of wanted offenders.
A police van with LFR was operating in the Denmark Hill, south London when 73-year-old David Cheneler was caught on film.
When he was stopped on January 10, Cheneler was with a six year old girl whose mother had no idea he was a conviced offender.
Cheneler was in breach of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order 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.
Cheneler had picked the child up from school as a ‘favour’ for her mother.
He had done this twice before after building a relationship with them both over the course of a year.
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 is 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.’
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.’
Cheneler of Lewisham, 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.
