Sex Offender Nabbed by Live Facial Recognition in Southwark
A high-risk sex offender was caught red-handed by the Metropolitan Police’s Live Facial Recognition (LFR) tech in Southwark while breaching a court order by being alone with a young child. This arrest showcases the growing power of LFR in protecting vulnerable communities and locking up dangerous criminals.
David Cheneler Caught with Six-Year-Old
- David Cheneler, 73, a registered sex offender, was arrested on January 10 at Denmark Hill.
- The Met’s LFR system flagged him walking with a six-year-old girl, breaking his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
- Cheneler was also found carrying a concealed lock knife.
- He’s set to serve two years behind bars after sentencing at Kingston Crown Court in May 2025.
How the Arrest Went Down
The Met positioned an LFR van in Denmark Hill, where the system instantly identified Cheneler as he passed by. Officers quickly confirmed it was him, finding him with a young girl — an outright breach of his SOPO banning him from being alone with children under 14.
Further probes revealed Cheneler had been “helping out” the girl’s mother by picking her daughter up from school several times. Neither the mum nor the child knew about his horrific past, including 15 counts of indecent assault and five counts of gross indecency with a child, dating from 1968 to 1993.
Cheneler had served nine years after a 2010 conviction and had been under a SOPO since 2019 designed to keep kids safe.
Police Reaction and Court Ruling
Cheneler pleaded guilty on January 13 to breaching the SOPO and possessing an offensive weapon — the lock knife hidden in his belt buckle.
He was sentenced on May 20 at Kingston Crown Court to two years in prison.
“This is a prime example of how the Met is using technology to remove dangerous offenders from our streets… Had he not been identified, it’s possible he could have gone on to abuse this child,” said Detective Constable Adam Pearce, who led the investigation.
Lindsey Chiswick, the Met’s lead for LFR, added: “These interventions are crucial. Without this technology, Cheneler may have had the opportunity to cause further harm.”
Tech Fighting Crime in Real Time
Live Facial Recognition scours crowds to match faces instantly against watchlists of offenders and missing persons. This technology helped officers stop a known sex offender before any further damage could be done.
The Met stresses that every LFR deployment is driven by intelligence-led operational needs, keeping the spotlight on high-risk targets to protect the public.
