HACKNEY CHILD SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED AFTER BEING ON THE RUN
A wanted child sex offender from Hackney who was on the run has been sentenced, reports London Now.Mohamed Patel, 61, was arrested on December 19, 2025, after being wanted for child sex offences.
Live facial recognition technology from a police van identified the suspect and he was arrested on suspicion of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.
Patel, of Stoke Newington Road, attempted to talk with a 12-year-old girl on an online chatroom between March 9 and August 29 in 2020, reports our sister-site London Now.
He asked her what type of clothes she wears and made explicit sexual comments towards her.
Eventually, he travelled to meet the girl but instead of finding the girl he was arrested by police officers.
On May 30 last year, he was charged with the same offences.
He later failed to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on June 27 and was became wanted until he was found days before Christmas.
Patel pleaded guilty to both offences at Thames Magistrates’ Court on December 20.
On Monday (February 2) he appeared at Wood Green Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
Lindsey Chiswick, the Met’s lead for facial recognition, said: “The Met is committed to making London safer, using technology to identify offenders that pose a significant risk to our communities.
“This is a prime example of why the technology is vital.
Without it, Patel could have continued to evade police and cause further harm to other victims.
“LFR is a powerful and game-changing tool, which is helping us to catch dangerous individuals and deliver justice for victims.”
