This is the chilling moment cops snared an armed paedophile walking a six-year-old girl home after identifying him with hi-tech facial recognition cameras.
Convicted sex offender David Cheneler, 73, 'could have gone on to abuse' the child after befriending her mother, who was unaware of his horrific crimes spanning six decades.
The bearded predator was caught after triggering a live facial recognition camera deployed on Denmark Hill, in south-east London.
The technology films people walking past and generates an alert for police if there is a match with a watchlist of offenders.
After being matched on the system of wanted criminals, Cheneler was stopped by officers in the street on January 10.
He was later found to have had a flip knife hidden in his belt buckle.
In body-worn footage released by the Metropolitan Police, the pensioner 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.'
This is the moment convicted paedophile David Cheneler (left) was caught by police after being identified by facial recognition camera
When Cheneler was caught by the Met Police, he was found to be walking a six-year-old girl home from school. He has now been jailed for two years for breaching a court order
Cheneler had picked the girl 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, the Met Police said.
Unbeknownst to her, Cheneler has a slew of convictions for sexual offences against children.
In 2010 he was convicted for 15 counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 and five of gross indecency with a child between 1968 and 1993. He was jailed for nine years.
Further checks confirmed he was in breach of a 2019 sexual offences prevention order - issued following his prison term - which barred him from being alone with any child under 14.
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.'
Cheneler is seen, left, being detained by one officer while others speak to the six-year-old girl he was walking home from school
Police bodycam footage captures the moment officers from the Met confronted Cheneler
Lindsey Chiswick, the Met's lead for live facial recognition (LFR), 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, admitted breaching the conditions of his sexual offences prevention order, as well as possessing an offensive weapon at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on January 13.
He was jailed for two years at Kingston Crown Court.
