Sex offender who groomed children as young as 12 on social media jailed
David Chellapah targeted children aged between 12 and 15 on social media
A sex offender who groomed children as young as 12 online and tried to meet up with them has been jailed.
Listen to this article
David Chellapah, 31, targeted children aged between 12 and 15 on social media, sent sexual messages and incited children to engage in sexual activity, the Metropolitan Police said.
Some of his victims were coerced and pressured to produce sexual images and videos.
Officers began investigating Chellapah, of Ealing, west London, after they received intelligence that he was communicating with a child and trying to arrange a meeting to sexually abuse them.
He was arrested on October 17 last year when Met officers intercepted him as he was going to a pre-arranged meeting with a child.
Read more: Starmer calls for 'urgent review' into 'harrowing' rape case after two boys avoid jail
Read more: Murder investigation launched after man, 60, dies eight days after street assault
Officers analysed Chellapah’s phone and other devices and identified multiple victims, Scotland Yard said.
A USB stick was also found at his home which contained a significant volume of indecent images and videos of children, some of which involved very young children, the Met said.
In February, Chellapah pleaded guilty to 21 offences from August to October 2025, including sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following grooming, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and offences relating to the production and possession of indecent images of children.
He was jailed for 10 years at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, the Met said.
Detective Constable Alan Stepkowski-Fellows, from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command, said: “Chellapah showed clear and persistent predatory behaviour, targeting children online and attempting to escalate that contact into serious harm.
Our officers acted quickly to intervene, prevent further offences and bring him before the courts.
“Safeguarding victims remains our priority. We worked closely with partners to ensure all children were protected and supported, with specialist officers using trauma-informed approaches. We also secured strong digital evidence so victims did not have to attend court.
“We will continue working with partners to protect children and hold offenders to account.”