A south London man has been jailed after he was caught viewing indecent images of children on his mobile phone while travelling on a train.
At around 12pm on September 23, 2025, David Johnson, of Francis Chichester Way in Wandsworth, was travelling on a train from Stafford to London when he was observed by a fellow passenger sitting behind him.
The man could see Johnson, 35, exchanging messages on his phone before opening a video showing a young child being abused.
Johnson then switched to another chat where he was asked what types of videos he liked.
He replied: “Just kids videos.”
Shocked by what he had witnessed, the passenger messaged his partner to explain what was happening.
When he looked back at Johnson’s phone, he saw him watching another video involving an even younger child.
The man was so shaken that he moved to another part of the carriage before reporting the incident to British Transport Police using the 61016 text service.
Officers were dispatched to meet the train at London Euston railway station, where Johnson was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.
During his arrest, officers seized Johnson’s mobile phone, which was found to have an indecent image of a child set as its wallpaper.
While in custody, Johnson asked if he could have his phone returned, stating that he “needed to delete some stuff”.
He later offered no comment during police interview.
A search of two addresses linked to Johnson led to the seizure of a number of devices.
The mobile phone recovered at the time of his arrest was found to contain nearly 200 indecent images of children, including 105 category A images, which is the most serious classification.
Detectives also recovered two chat transcripts, with one showed Johnson communicating with a girl he believed to be 13-years-old and arranging to meet her for sex.
Another chat referenced the same girl during a conversation with an older woman.
Officers later established that the child did not exist.
Johnson was later charged and, at a court hearing, pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
He was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on April 1 to two years and three months’ imprisonment.
He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting 10 years and will remain on the sex offenders register for a decade.
British Transport Police Detective Constable Victoria Lowth said: “The quick thinking and courage of the man who saw Johnson’s phone meant that we were able to swiftly arrest him and uncover the scale of his offending.
“Behind every image Johnson possessed is a vulnerable child who has been exploited and abused.
“He is clearly a danger to children and has rightly received a substantial custodial sentence.”
Anyone who is a victim of, or witness to, an offence on the railway is urged to report it by texting 61016.
