David Chellapah

David Chellapah, 31, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, May 22, 2026, after pleading guilty to 21 offenses related to the online sexual exploitation of children.

The offenses occurred between August and October 2025. Police received a tip-off that Chellapah was messaging a child and attempting to arrange a meeting for sexual abuse. Met Police officers intercepted and arrested him on October 17, 2025, when he arrived at a pre-arranged meeting with a child.

A forensic analysis of Chellapah's mobile phone and other electronic devices revealed he had been targeting multiple children aged between 12 and 15 across various social media platforms. He engaged in sustained grooming behavior, sending sexual messages, inciting children to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to arrange further meetings. Searches of his home also uncovered a significant volume of indecent images and videos of children, some involving very young victims.

Chellapah pleaded guilty to all counts in February 2026. The charges included sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following grooming, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and offenses related to the production and possession of indecent images of children.