FEDERICO TRAVERSA SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES AT ISLE OF DOGS NEAR CANARY WHARF

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Federico Traversa, a 31-year-old man, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after being convicted of engaging in sexual activities with a 13-year-old boy and secretly filming the encounter at his apartment on the Isle of Dogs, near Canary Wharf in east London.

According to court proceedings, Traversa initially contacted the young boy through a gay dating application, where he found the teenager and arranged to meet him at his residence on the Isle of Dogs. The meeting took place at Traversa’s riverside apartment, which is situated close to the Thames and within the vicinity of the bustling Canary Wharf area.

During the encounter, Traversa showed the boy videos depicting young children performing sexual acts. Despite the disturbing nature of these videos, Traversa proceeded to engage in sexual activity with the boy in his bedroom. The incident was only interrupted when the boy pretended to receive a phone call from his mother, which prompted him to leave the flat and end the encounter.

However, the case took a darker turn when it was revealed that Traversa had secretly filmed the sexual act without the boy’s knowledge. The footage was later sent to Traversa’s mobile phone, which ultimately led to his arrest. A few weeks after the incident, police from the Metropolitan Police’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command apprehended Traversa on April 15.

Detective Constable Jonny Newell commented on the case, stating, “Traversa claimed his victim was above the age of consent. But the boy told him he was 14—that didn’t stop Traversa engaging in sexual activity. The evidence we recovered later showed his sexual interest in children, and I’m pleased he has been brought before the courts.”

Further investigations revealed that Traversa maintained contact with the boy through social media after the initial incident, which occurred last March at the Galleons View apartment block in Stewart Street, Blackwall. During this continued communication, Traversa sent the boy the video and additional indecent images of young children, which compounded the severity of his offenses.

The situation escalated when the boy’s sister borrowed his mobile phone and discovered the videos. This discovery prompted the police to intervene, leading to Traversa’s arrest despite his protests that the sexual activity was consensual and that the boy had claimed to be 16 years old at the time.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Traversa admitted to five charges, including engaging in sexual activity with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, taking indecent photographs, possessing indecent images, and possessing indecent moving images of a child. The court sentenced him yesterday to four years and eight months in prison, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes and the harm caused to the young victim.